Star Fox: Universe : Season 2
by Bryyo
Summary: Things have taken a horrible turn in the Lylat System and the government is left struggling to retain order. Just what do the Pirates and The Occult have in store for the Lylat system? Rated T for language and violent themes. Might be upgraded later
1. Notes

Star Fox: Universe: Season 2

Notes on current stuffies - Season 2 is progressing at an omega snail pace

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2-16-09

So rather than finish my homework like a good student I ended up finishing chapter 16 ahead of schedule after all. Reading over it again, I have to say I'm really proud at how it came out. I actually spent several minutes editing, going over parts, wasting ink, etc and think that the final product isn't all that bad. Hope you guys enjoy it!

2-11-09

Finally, another update, yeah? About some questions I've received regarding the pirates: Yes they are a bit overpowered. We've seen in several of the games how using an arwing as well as weaponry provided in the games how Star Fox and crew have easily defeated countless enemies and so forth. However, that's just it. It seemed too easy for a small team of elite mercenaries to be able to do. However, this also is making future chapters difficult for me in "just how the heck will the pirates be defeated?". I'm working on it, though the story is progressing still as I'm expecting.

This new chapter, 15: The Birth of an Adventurer, also marks the end of what I hope wasn't that boring of a season 2 opener. This chapter also introduces Atlas and the origins of his adventurous and treasure-hunting manners (which will come in later stories, probably). I hadn't initially intended for any sort of major attack to happen in Oasis, but I'm still seeing how severe I'm making it turn out. Enjoy!

10-26-08

Alright, story is still moving rather slowly in terms of action, however there are several things that need to be introduced before I feel it is safe to move on further.


	2. 12: The Drums of War

Star Fox: Universe

Episode: 12

Season 2: 時間は誰の見方

Star Fox and Characters are Copyright to Nintendo as well as the themes related to them.

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The Drums of War

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_Note: Unless otherwise said, I'm going to start and try to get these chapters out weekly or within 2 weeks of each other. My "summer break" has come to an end and I'm now in summer classes, so I should be able to keep focused on this without brawl/mariokart/tournies getting in the way haha…well maybe…anyway, read and review please: D comments and constructive crits are always welcome! Also: Would like to say THANKS!! To Snake of the Rose, for the help and further inspiration in this story. We were both lacking in ideas and decided to write a bit in each other's stories – it actually was a lot of fun and helped motivate me back into this! Again, thanks! I recommend everyone read his story Desolace ;3

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**Great Fox III: Katina General Area**

There was a dull pain in his head as Lyle slowly regained consciousness. It didn't help that the lighting in the room was also very bright and he had to squint his eyes as they painfully adjusted to his surroundings. There were voices in the room that he couldn't make out since his bed was curtained off from the rest of the room. Not to mention his thoughts were a bit frazzled but he still slowly got up to a seated position on the bed and placed a hand on his forehead.

It was then he realized he was no longer wearing his power suit. He quickly pulled his hand off his head and started at the skin tight, black glove in front of him and then to his own current outfit. Whatever happened to his suit he couldn't tell since it had compacted back into the headset that was attached to his left ear. Lyle pressed a button on the device and allowed a visor slide over his eyes as well as let the on board computer quickly load.

_Power Supply limited…_

_Recharging at standard rate…_

_Estimated time till Power Suit reaches minimum efficiency…_

_Thirty days, 5 hours, 23 minutes._

He gave a disapproving grunt and let the visor return to its original location. There was a sound of shuffling on the other side of the curtain causing him to turn in alarm. A blue hand grabbed the corner of the fabric and pulled away at it, revealing the rest of the room as well as a surprised Krystal and Katt.

"You're awake!" the blue vixen said in a startled voice. "I almost thought you'd be out for years!"

"Years?" The reply seemed a bit awkward to him. It was also then he noticed that his voice wasn't muffled from the suit and was himself, surprised. "I'm quite...alright."

"After that battle with the Pirate Dragon, we had thought we were going to loose you," added in Katt, who was seated next to a rather disorganized desk. There were papers littered all over it. "Krystal was able to heal your wounds. As for your suit…we don't know what happened to it."

"It powered down," answered Lyle, a bit coldly. "The Kinetic Release uses up all my suits remaining power to create a devastating blast like that. I just didn't think it would force me out-of-suit."

"I see…" Katt didn't know what else to say having received a hostile answer back.

The human took the silence that followed as a chance to look at his surroundings. With the curtain pulled away, he could make out three other beds in the room near his. Along the wall were a row of cabinets appearing to be wooden, or at least imitating wood. He couldn't tell what was inside them of course, but below them ran a counter that was littered with equipment used in medical situations. There was also a small computer monitor as well as a control panel, but he had already judged that he was in a clinic or hospital.

Lyle figured he had stayed in that bed for long enough and tried to stand up but had some trouble as his legs felt like jelly. "Wow, just how long was I out?"

Krystal quickly went to his side and helped him stand, giving him a worried look. "Since we've fled Corneria, it's been about four days. Your legs just need to get used to walking again. It shouldn't take too long since you were inactive only that long."

She was right. He could feel that his legs were slowly growing accustomed to holding his weight again up. It was from this perspective that the other two Lylatians realized that Lyle was shorter and less bulky than when his armor was on. He wore a grey and black skin tight outfit which covered the majority of his body besides his face. The only "fur" that he had was on his head and eyebrows which was a very bold black and was cut short and neat. Located on both his wrists was some sort of device which extended outward from his suit, though neither female could tell what they were for. A computer perhaps.

"Wait," he started, taking into account what Krystal had just told him. "You said, "Fled"? What happened? Where are we now?"

"We're in space, nearing the planet Katina," answered Katt. "The pirates severely outnumbered our crippled fleet. We had no other option than to leave the planet and take as many civilians as we could." She noticed Lyle's expression had remained stoic. "The pirates had also…released a bio weapon onto the planet. We don't understand why though, they had a great advantage overall and it was probably overkill."

"Pirates generally go for overkill," he replied flatly. "I have to confess though; I'm not surprised that your people lost. Your technology is awfully lacking and the way you pretty much welcomed in the enemy with open arms was almost screaming for a takeover. And a crippled fleet? Are you people even serious?"

"Now wait here just a minute! We did everything in our power to fight back and have suffered through many wars in the past years! How can you ask if we are serious?! We had peace!"

"Peace? Peace is just a form of controlled chaos," replied Lyle. "And obviously your power wasn't even worth the trouble for the Pirates."

The feline could only look back at him with angry eyes. "You know, I think that I liked you better before you lost your armor. Now I just see that you're really a jerk after all."

"I'm sorry you misjudged me."

"Alright, that's enough." Krystal gave both of them a glance while shaking her head. "There's no point in arguing over this. What's done is done. All we can do now is try and cope with our situation and see what we can do in the future." Katt replied with a grunt.

"Yeah, that is something you have to worry about now, isn't it?" Lyle felt his legs were now ready for walking and made his way to the nearest door.

"And just where are you going?" Katt asked with a scowl.

"Exploring. I've never been on this ship and would like to know where everything is." He could see Krystal begin to speak but raised a hand to stop her. "I'll be fine on my own, thank you."

The door slid to the right as he exited into the long corridor. Regardless of what the other two said, he wouldn't have stayed otherwise.

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"Ow! Watch where you put your tools, Slippy!"

Falco irritably rubbed his oil-stained head as he continued maintenance on his Arwing. Slippy had accompanied him to do some repairs as well.

"Heh heh, sorry Falco," the toad replied, checking the bearings on Falco's cockpit for damage. Falco picked up the screwdriver Slippy had dropped and waved it at him.

"Yeah yeah, you better be," Falco grumbled, poking his head underneath his Arwing.

Each of their Arwings had taken a considerable amount of damage from their recent "skirmish" with the Pirates. Slippy had hypothesized that they had more advanced technologies then Lylat could offer, being from a different galaxy and all. But Falco had too much pride to admit he had lost a battle with some creepy bug. He continued to grumble as he worked on the underside.

"That battle was pretty intense..." Slippy said, a bit to himself.

Unseen, Falco agreed. "Yeah...it was. I'm gonna have to admit I was a little..concerned when I saw Fox go down." He struggled with a few parts.

Slippy gave a nervous chuckle. "Tell me about it! Woo-wee, I thought he was done for. Didja see that big dragon him and Aeyr were fighting?"

"Actually, it's Lyle."

Slippy and Falco stopped what they were doing to notice Lyle standing with his arms crossed in the middle of the hangar. But there was something different about his appearance to the two Lylatians.

"Aeyr? Is that you?" Slippy inquired rather obnoxiously. "You're...you're naked!

Lyle held up a gloved hand. "Yes, it's me. But please, call me Lyle. It's more...leisurely, so to speak. And I'm most certainly not naked."

There was a snort from Falco as Lyle said this. "Ha! I knew he was more then just a suit! He's a damn furless ape!"

Lyle was now glaring daggers at the bird who just insulted him. Slippy was a bit paralyzed, not really knowing what to do or say.

Falco threw down his tools in a huff and stood upright. "What did you think you were doing out there, pal?" Falco stated, staring at Lyle. "You almost got Fox killed!"

"If you would've have paid more attention," Lyle started, his expression unchanging, "You would've found that I was actually protecting your leader and I ended up saving his life, at the cost of my own health," he continued as he began to pace slowly towards the infuriated avian. "That's hardly a thank you I just heard."

"Saved him?" Falco spat. "If it weren't for you ever showing up around here, we wouldn't BE in this predicament right now!" Falco began to approach Lyle. "Just look at what you did. You brought all these ruthless dopes to our galaxy, let them invade our home world, and now we have to evacuate to Katina! How could YOU, a bald, stinkin' ape, ever possibly save ANYTHING around here?!"

Falco and Lyle now were exchanging glares as they stood right in front of each other. A small green hand reached up and grabbed Falco's wrist before he could do anything harmful.

"Falco, that's enough!" Slippy cried.

The toad stood between the two, tears almost in his eyes. He was choking them back with exasperated heaves.

"Look," Slippy began, wiping his eyes. "None of us wanted this to happen, no one! But it happened, so now what?" Slippy looked at Lyle, and then at Falco. "We've got to grin and bear it, guys. We just have to have hope that we can pull through. I highly doubt that acting like this will get us anywhere!" Slippy finished, tears streaming out of his eyes.

Lyle's expression was still stern, but compassion was in his eyes. He rested a hand on the toad's head and gave him a reassuring pat.

"You're right, Slippy," Lyle told him. "It was wrong of us to start anything. I apologize, to both of you."

Falco had lowered his fists and was now standing with his back to them, arms crossed. He knew what was going on, and he knew none of these words could change anything that had happened so far. He was just looking for a catalyst to change fate about now...

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Pain was the only thing Fox could comprehend at the moment.

He was covered in all sorts of cuts and bruises on various places of his body. Even his bones ached; with every step he could feel his energy dwindle down another bit. Fox's mind was still trying to analyze what happened just the other day. He had been there, but could he believe it?

He was limping down the hallway towards the bridge with Bill at his side. Bill was in no good shape or form himself. His head was bandaged, along with a few patches of gauze here and there. The dim lights of the dank, gray hallway seemed to reflect the mood- stifled and melancholy.

"Well well well, isn't this expected," Bill said with a painful chuckle. "It was only a matter of time until we got into a situation like this, eh Fox?"

"Got that right," Fox weakly smiled, the pain making him wince. "I hope General Pepper isn't too surprised when he sees us like this."

Bill shook his head as they entered the bridge where the debriefing was to take place. "Somehow, I think he's been waiting for this scene most of his life. You know how he's always sending you on all those missions and I'm always on call for something."

"Hah, perhaps," admitted the vulpine, allowing his friend to enter the room before them first as an act of courtesy. Peppy was already seated in his usual seat on the bridge and was currently fiddling with his console. Bill took the seat nearest him, usually Falco's spot, while Fox slumped onto his captain's chair at the front of the ship.

The bridge on this great fox model was shaped in a half circle, with the captains seat facing the large front windows which gave everyone in the room a glimpse of the expansive space outside, Katina slowly becoming larger in the distance. The screens were also designed to change into a telecommunications display on occasion, however, the holographic projector located at the center of the room was used primarily for this; the machine itself was round and placed in the center solely so that the team could turn their chairs around and conveniently see the display.

"Peppy, is the communications line ready," asked Fox, who was growing a bit impatient in the silence. "I want to get our debriefing done as soon as possible."

"Don't be in such a rush, Fox," the hare complained. "At the moment the system is ready, we're just waiting on Pepper. There isn't much I can do at the moment, and Pepper's line is currently closed from outside communication."

There was a series of beeps coming from the central console, as a transparent image of a weary hound appeared on the projector.

"Speak of the devil," said Peppy. "Where have you been? We've been trying to get in contact with you for a while now."

The General gave a sigh before answering. "Things have been rather hectic on our ends. We've been having issues with the Judges disagreeing with any plans that we've come up with and in this position Chancellor Redgis has little to no say in much of anything. No official decisions have been made since the absence of Councilor Lane has kept the vote out of balance."

"I'm assuming Judge Ricks and Krause are still at each other's throats then." Peppy rubbed his chin with his left hand as he thought deeply. "Regardless, I'll discuss this matter with you in private later. I think these two have some things to tell us about their recent missions."

General Pepper nodded silently in agreement and turned to face Bill. "I haven't heard anything from your team in the longest time so I'll start with you first, Bill. Though by now it's probably too late, I'd like to know how the mission went."

The husky fidgeted in his seat as he felt all attention drawn toward him. He looked over at Fox for some reassurance but only saw his friend's own serious gaze on him. With one last deep breath, he began his story, trying his best to recount as much detail as possible.

"Well, I'll begin by saying that my team was actually excited to have received its first official mission since Team Husky was setup, so with that, I thank you General, despite how sour the mission did turn. My team mates … they did their best."

"On arrival on the derelict asteroid station we found several ships belonging to criminal families and renegade mercenaries. Everyone was apparently waiting for some sort of signal or sign from whoever the message originated from, but after about two hours of waiting, we were greeted by probably the largest ship I've ever laid eyes on."

"Yeah, well, anyway…We were quickly greeted by the Aranian Ambassador in which immediately Rufus was taken up by some dragon creature and killed…The rest of us were quickly imprisoned in some holding area, however Andrews was taken soon after. We were surprised to have Wolf O'Donnell join us, however."

"Wolf? Was he alright?" It was Fox who had asked; his face showing a bit of concern.

"Well…we didn't see him for long. As soon as he did wake up, the Ara…err…Pirates quickly took him away. It was then that Reynolds and Walt were able to get us out of our confines and into a ventilation shaft, where we stumbled upon a room and found this," he took out what looked like some sort of storage device out of his pockets. The shape was unfamiliar to everyone in the room but they had an idea that Bill found it valuable. "We were able to download some data off the Pirate's system but as soon as we finished, Wolf had came in and killed Reynolds."

"Wait…what? Why? When I encountered Wolf he was trying to help us out."

"Well, that's the weird part. Not only did his attitude seem to suddenly change, his language became very…articulate? I don't know if that's the right word, but the Wolf I knew wasn't the most eloquent speaker now." He finished with a slight chuckle but the memory of his team mates had him quickly silenced.

"It was only me and Walt left. We had thought we were making a run to freedom, but it ended up being a trap. I was thrust into a cargo pod, thinking it was an escape pod, and Walt was eaten up by those …jellyfish like monsters. I managed to strap myself onto the walls of the pod but it didn't stop me from getting hurt…When I came to though, I was on Corneria with Fox."

Fox didn't know the trouble his friend had gotten through and was giving him a sympathetic and reassuring look. However, it was now his turn to tell his part of the story. He'd talk to Bill a bit more after.

"Well," he began, clearing his throat. "I'll start from when my team went to investigate the asteroid field after Bill. We were then confronted with Wolf who told us to pretend to be fighting him while he warned us about what the Pirates were up to and to hurry back to Corneria. I decided it best to take his advice and retreat before the Pirate Ship reappeared and used a tractor beam to pull Wolf back."

"Upon planet fall, the Pirates had already begun their assault and my team separated to aid Peppy's men while I helped Aeyr deal with the Pirate dragon, Alpha. Well….it was more like he was helping me. On my own I probably wouldn't have made it. The kid's weaponry was different from my own and seemed more effective. In the end, Aeyr ended up protecting me from a careless move at the cost of his own armor. I didn't see what happened in the end since I was knocked out, but the kid apparently killed him."

"Killed him," Bill asked incredulously. "Sheesh, I have to meet this guy."

"He's in a coma resting in our med lab," replied the vulpine before continuing. "Despite my appearance, I actually managed to get out relatively unharmed, thanks to Krystal's help. But it was then that Peppy, Judge Krause and Councilor Cooper gave me a new mission to inspect the first Pirate pod that had landed onto the Planet. And….Bill has pretty much covered that part already."

Pepper's hologram seemed focused onto something intangible around them as he thought deeply about what the two had told him. "Alright. From both of your stories it's apparent that Wolf has a strange involvement within the current events that have happened. From this point he'll be a person of interest to us. Until then, we'll have to try to find a way to get that data translated from Bill. It may have some information we need to battle against these Insects."

"Until then, however, Peppy, the council wishes for you to remained stationed in Katina and help our troops there. Fox, your team will be placed on hold until something comes up, which I assure you will probably be sometime soon."

"Understood."

"For now, I'll inform Chancellor Redgis of what you've told me. I apologize for making this exit very curt but as I've said, things have been rather hectic as of late. I'll contact you as soon as I can." And with that, the hologram vanished.

"Well…someone was in a bit of a shuffle," said Bill. Fox gave him a look and smiled, having not heard of his friend's usual attitude in a while. "So Peppy, looks like you've got a lot on your hands once we land, huh?"

"It's nothing I'm not accustomed too," the hare replied with a chuckle. "I'm sure you all will be sad to have my old hide out of here."

"Ah, you know it! You're the life of the party here, pops."

"And that, is pushing too far, Bill."

"Ah…right." He noticed Fox preparing to leave. "Where you goin' now?"

The vulpine turned around and shrugged. "I'm gonna see how the kid's doing. Think Krystal can tell me what's up once I get there."

"Oh, then I'll tag along too then. I wanna see this kid!" He jumped up from his chair rather energetically for someone who was supposed to be injured and followed Fox out the bridge doors. "Later, pops! This party's all yours now," he said before they slid closed.

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**_Next Episode: The Lost Child_**

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Notes: WOOOW. I apologize for the slow update - -. I had meant to have had this chapter done much earlier but it didn't happen. Got too caught into brawl and Mario kart…not to mention summer session has started already. As a new trend though, I will not be posting up chapter summaries of the next chapter until said chapter is finished.

Thanks again to Snake of the Rose for the help in this story! D


	3. 13: The Lost Child

Star Fox: Universe

Episode: 13

Season 2: 時間は誰の見方

Star Fox and Characters are Copyright to Nintendo as well as the themes related to them.

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Lost Child

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**Great Fox III: Observatory Room**

Due to request, the Great Fox III had been built with a large lookout room toward the front of the ship, above the bridge. It wasn't anything too important, though it was mostly someplace to think whenever something had whatever poor soul in a slump. It was a rather small, curved room. The large, sliding doors were located in the back of the room, allowing access to the main hallways of the starship, while the front was covered with thick glass, allowing the great view of the stars to peer through as Katina hung like a large pendant in space before the Great Fox.

The room was dimly lit to keep the "night" feel that seemed to be standard with star gazing. The metallic walls were also in a blue hue compared to the grey and tan the rest of the ship interior had. There were technically two levels to this room. The upper floor was set up like a balcony, the railings trailing across the floor edges and downward with the stairs. Below were some plants lining up against the glass windows and a bench made for sitting that spread from one end of the left staircase to the right.

It was here that Krystal had decided to occupy herself, lying on the hard floor next to the middle-most plant and mindlessly running her right hand through the flowers that were in bloom. This was her first time on this new model of the Great Fox and she was rather astonished to see that Fox had enforced the creation of this room. She sighed and looked up out the window to where Katina floated and rested her hands on her lap.

Her mind was full of mixed emotions and she didn't know how to deal with each of them as they were blending into some form that kept her anxious. When Lyle had woken up, she was full of relief, seeing that she had in fact saved his life and there appeared to be nothing wrong with the human. However, she was taken aback by his ungrateful attitude. She didn't know where Katt went after he got her all upset, though more than likely she was in the recreation room, boxing away at some dummy to vent off her anger.

Then there was Fox. The thought of him made her close her eyes and shudder. Once again, she found herself off in some adventure with him and his crew, even after she had swore to herself that she would stay in Corneria to take care of the family.

"Family…" she muttered. There was no family. All that remained was heartache and the reminder of a treasure lost. It may have been her maternal instincts that did it, but Krystal realized that she had placed her right hand on her abdomen. She quickly removed her hand and sighed. "Marky…"

On the upper floor she could hear the doors slide open and she lazily leaned her head back in an attempt to see who had decided to join her. Her ears flickered as she could make out some voices.

"Are you sure? I mean, I could stay with you instead. Been a while since I slept with ya, eh? And I thought you wanted to see that kid first?"

It was obviously Bill saying another one of his jokes. However, if it was Bill, it also meant that the other with him would be no other than…

"You haven't changed a bit, Bill. Not at all," chuckled Fox. "I've already decided anyway. Aeyr will room with me for the night. And for now, I just need to think some things through so I kinda want to just be alone for a bit before I see him."

Krystal silently grunted as she heard Bill say his goodbyes and the door slide close, Fox's footsteps thudding lightly on the balcony floor. It wouldn't be long till he looked down and saw-

"Oh, Krystal!" She leaned her head once more till their eyes met. His face was unreadable, though she was sure her eyes were giving away her current feelings. "I…didn't know you were in here." He looked away rather shyly before slowly walking down the right stairs, his left hand sliding down the railing as he descended, Krystal returning her gaze out the window.

Fox decided to sit on the bench behind her, realizing how awkward it would be to be too close to her. "We're, going to land at 10 standard time," he coughed. "Everyone is sort of tired, so Peppy thought it'd be best if we all slept before landing."

"Mmm…" She merely replied, not changing her gaze.

He gave a shallow sigh at her reply and looked away from her, staring blankly at the farthest plant. _And I was looking for some quiet alone-time to think_, he thought to himself. Fox took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he lied down on the bench, using his arms to cushion his head.

As he opened his eyes he stared blankly at the blue ceiling and allowed his mind to wander.

He too was relieved to hear that Aeyr was alive and well, though he hadn't had the chance to speak with him. Yet, that was one of the few things on his mind. Fox cast a quick glance at Krystal and saw she hadn't moved much.

"Well, since we're both here," he started, breaking the silence, "why don't we talk a few things over then?"

"I have nothing to talk about," she replied without emotion.

"Oh, you know that's a lie. I know you enough to know when you have a lot on your mind."

"And I knew you'd open your mouth eventually."

He snorted and looked back up at the ceiling. "Touché. But I'm not gonna just sit here in silence."

"Isn't that why you came here in the first place?"

He paused for a second. "Well…yeah. But you're in here so-"

"Do you wish for me to leave then?" She turned at looked at him, Fox meeting her gaze.

"No, that's not what I meant."

She hesitated before looking back up at the stars. "I don't have anything to say at the moment."

Fox smirked and shrugged. "That's fine, I suppose. But since your unwilling to talk your gonna be the wall that I rant to for now." He could see her shake her head slightly, a small smile on her face.

"I'm…glad that Aeyr is alright." He paused before continuing, taking a few deep breaths. "I was so worried that he getting injured was my fault. Can't believe he took that blast that was meant for me…" Noticing that Krystal still refused to move he continued. "I don't know what my problem is. Had I taken that blast…I know that I wouldn't have survived. I had no armor to protect me. Heh, he even said that if I were to get hit once I would be killed. Perhaps I was just…too overconfident."

"You're always like that."

Fox turned to her direction. "Oh ho! So the silent fox opens her mouth after all," he grinned. "Well I suppose you should enlighten me then."

Krystal sighed as she picked her words. "You don't take other's self sacrifice too well, Fox. It's one of the traits that people like about you, but it bothers you when someone else does it."

"Hmm… Are you saying that perhaps I'm jealous of him?"

"Not at all. Rather, him doing that in your place has you confused, I suppose. Even…with me. You tend to do things for yourself, thinking it's all good when in the end you just hurt others in the process."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"I'm saying that sometimes, your so-called noble deeds are rather…selfish."

He took a moment to think through what she was saying. "So…I guess now I'm selfish."

_Here he goes,_ Krystal thought to herself, as she lied back, now also staring at the ceiling. _He's gonna start off on one of his tantrums again._

"Maybe your right…"

"What?!" She turned her head to see him still lying down on the bench. This change in attitude wasn't typical of him.

"I think…I think that I'm doing things right, but in the end I just end up hurting people. That's how you can say that I'm just being selfish. In order to prevent myself from facing an absolutely horrible possibility, I sacrifice myself so I don't feel the pain of it all… The only one who feels it full force," he met her gaze, "is you, isn't it?"

"Why are you talking like this now," she retorted, turning away from his eyes. "You left me twice now, and now what are you trying to do? Are you trying to break my heart once more?!"

"No…I'm trying to say…well…What I'm trying to say is: I'm sorry." By now the vulpine was covering his eyes with his left arm, trying not to show his watering eyes. He didn't realize what the noise of Krystal rustling on the floor was till he felt her warmth by his side as she took a seat next to him.

"You've never been one to beat yourself up, Fox," she said, her voice sympathetic. "You really have changed this past year."

"I can't help feeling that him being gone is all my fault still."

"It was…no one's fault, Fox."

He hesitated a bit. "I recall you blaming me for not being home. It's true though…had I listened to you and stayed home…found a local job training in the academy…he'd still be alive, wouldn't he?"

"I was…" Now it was her turn to be lost for words. "I was angry then. I didn't know what I was saying." She placed her right hand on his chest and looked at his tan and white face. Fox was still covering his eyes with his arm and occasionally sniffling. "Perhaps it is I who should be saying I'm sorry."

"I feel guilty having left the only thing we had of him back in Corneria."

The vixen lightly shook he head, realizing he was still focused on his own emotions than hers. "You know as well as I do that that is merely an empty grave. There was nothing left of our son after that accident."

"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!" She looked at him startled, Fox finally showing off his wet, green eyes, his expression solemn. "I don't like hearing that nothing of our son remains. People make it out as if he didn't exist that way."

She gazed once more at the stars, the peace of space unable to calm her disturbed heart. Her emotions were spinning like some savage storm, trapping her within its vortex. She could find nothing to help ease her mind as she struggled, trapped between her longings for a family once more as well as the fear of him once again shattering her hopes. In the end, she decided to just get up, Fox looking at her, confused. "I'm tired," she said lightly. "I'll be going to my quarters now." At the top of the stairs, she turned once more to his direction, seeing him staring blankly out in space. "Good night, Fox"

"Good night…Krys" he muttered under his breath, as he did his best to stifle anymore tears from coming out. The scraping of the sliding doors opening and closing reassured him that she had left the room.

To him, Katina was just a hanging eyesore, blocking out all the smaller stars that he had slowly found himself growing attached to in the past year. Perhaps, it was because he had promised Marcus to make a place in the Great Fox where he can just sit and stare at the stars whenever he wanted. All he would have to do is be with his dad, as they playfully pointed up at the constellations that littered the galaxy.

And there he went again…loosing himself to some fantasy that didn't exist. He let his mind tease himself a bit longer, imagining Marcus with him now, staring up at the night sky, asking silly questions such as, "are we there yet?" while he merely chuckled back and would try to act all mature and tell him to wait.

Fox didn't notice the doors once again opening as another person entered the room, still lost in his daydream. Somehow, the stars were the only thing that would put his mind at rest as of late and the vulpine closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"If you're planning on sleeping here you're more than likely gonna catch a cold."

He looked up to see Lyle standing next to the stair railing, his pale face a slight blue due to the dim lighting. The kid's expression seemed rather stoic, making it impossible to understand what he could be thinking.

"Oh, nah. I just come here to think sometimes. Here, you can sit." Fox got up and moved over. "So do I call you Lyle now, or do you prefer Aeyr?"

"Lyle…out of suit anyway," he replied, taking a seat next to the vulpine. "This is nice…the view I mean."

"Yeah…it makes a good epiphany room, heh. I come up with all my good ideas here."

"You sure they're good ideas?" Fox looked at him, Lyle just staring out into space. "I'm sorry; I suppose my humor is rather dry."

"No…not at all. Though, when you say it with a straight face like that I'm sure people will probably take you seriously."

"Seriously huh…I wish some things _were_ taken seriously." He seemed to have something on his mind but Fox let him keep it to himself.

"I've…never seen your kind before. Sorry if I'm being offensive, but you do look similar to the ape-race that resides in our system."

"Apes," he chuckled. "I suppose so. Our scientists have often debated where humans came from. Though, the debate became rather heated when religions kept getting in the way." He looked up at the planet in the distance. "Waste of time, religions. They tend to just get in the way of progression and lead people to doing insane things."

"I've always believed religions were made to bring people together," replied Fox. "But I suppose it depends on the individuals experiences."

"Hmph. I've seen my share of religious _insanity_. It's not something I like to remember…" Lyle took a deep breath and tilted his head in Fox's direction. "What about you? I don't take you to be some mindless sheep."

Fox gave him a strange look before replying. "Not sure I understand your analogy, but no, I'm not a religious person, if that's what you're asking. I lost whatever belief I had ever since…"

This time Lyle looked at the vulpine directly, examining his features: His snout, his fur, his eyes, and the solemn expression that was washed on his face. "Since your son died?" He saw Fox stagger a bit at his response. "Losing someone important to you tends to do that."

"And I'm sure you've had experience then?" The vulpine had used a rather hot tone, Lyle realizing it that he was still rather touchy on the subject.

"Yes, actually, I have. Though my personal life is none of your concern at the moment."

"Heh, you like maintaining that stoic attitude of yours don't you?"

"It's none of your business."

"Well, I'm sorry to say it, but with you here on my ship, in _my_ star system, I think knowing the people on my ship IS my business."

Lyle sighed and returned his gaze up at the stars. "The way you say it, it makes me feel…"

"Angry?"

"No, heh. Nostalgic, I should say."

Again Fox gave him a weird look, though he wasn't sure if Lyle could see him with his peripherals. "Nostalgic? Wasn't the answer I was expecting. Care to explain?"

"At the moment, no."

_Should have expected that, though,_ thought Fox. "I'm gonna need some background info on you one day. Especially since we're now in this War with your _friends_."

"Oh…that. It's no longer any of my business."

Fox blinked. "Wait, what do you mean, it's no longer any of your business?"

"I meant exactly what I said. I feel that I've done more than enough to try and help everyone out here and the fact that no one can even take something like war seriously…well I see that I shouldn't bother with it anymore."

The remark hit Fox harder than even Lyle expected. Fox didn't know where the sudden energy came from, but he quickly stood up from his seat, startling the human as they both locked their gazes on each other. The solemn mask that the vulpine wore was no longer there. His eyes were squinted slightly and he was biting on his lower lip, though Lyle wasn't sure how to read his animal face, but returned it with a confused expression.

After a moment of hesitation, Lyle calmly asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, there is," Replied Fox. "It's your attitude."

"Oh, I thought it was something important for a moment."

"It _is_ important! You think you're all so cool acting being the silent, cold type don't you? Well to tell you the truth, it pisses me off."

"I'm not here to be subject to your judgment."

"Then why the hell are you here!? You mean to tell me that your…Federation, your home's arch nemesis has invaded my system and now it's no longer your business? To hell with that! It IS your business!"

"It's not my fault your people slacked off and can't take shit seriously."

Before the human could react or even move, his left cheek was met with Fox's fist, the force of the blow forcing Lyle's head to tilt sideways. Normally he would have been pissed off. Infuriated even. But this did more than surprise him, it completely confused him. Without moving he merely glared back angrily at Fox.

"How's that for serious?" He yelled. "Listen, I don't care what sort of emotional hissy fit you're having, but I'd change your messed up and elitist ideals about just how better you are compared to us and how we're all here just playing a game."

No reply.

"That's what you think we're doing, isn't it. To you we're some strange, messed up species that you happened to get trapped with. Well let me tell you this, this isn't a game. We ARE serious. This system has been swamped with War since my childhood. No one has known true peace for God knows how long. I've seen so much death and destruction with my own eyes to write countless books on. Hell, I've been placed in far more dangerous situations where I would think, I don't think I'm gonna make it this time. And here you are, all high and mighty, saying that everything here and that we've done is nothing and that we should be serious. Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the only one that seems to not be taking anything seriously here, is YOU."

Fox realized he had started breathing heavily and allowed himself to calm down while still staring Lyle in the eye. He wasn't sure if what he said had sunk in or not but he didn't have any more patience to find out. "I'm outta here," he said dryly, as he made his way up the stairs. "You're more than welcome to stay in your bed in the infirmary. Good night." And with that, he walked out, the doors sliding closed and leaving nothing but silence in the room behind.

Lyle shifted in his seat, gently rubbing his sore cheek with his left hand. The impact had caused his earpiece to slide an opaque blue visor over his eyes, indicating that he had taken minimal damage but would heal sometime soon. He didn't read the message himself, but could guess what it meant as he pressed a button on the earpiece and allowed the visor to slide back to its resting position. Leaning his head back to the wall, he sighed and thought about what Fox had just said.

_Me, not taking things seriously? That's a laugh,_ he thought. Shrugging, he looked up at the stars and tried to settle his disturbed thoughts but couldn't exactly shake them off. _Just…why am I here really? Why did I get sent to this godforsaken fairy tale…?_ He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander and welcoming the cold silence that enveloped him.

_**

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Next Episode: Oasis

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_Yes…I know this chapter is way overdue. Lack of motivation or any helpful feedback has had me in a slump, and probably still will for a while. Thought I'd focus more on Fox's emotions in this chapter, though it is a rather slow story. Realized that a lot of things need to be changed in the story line, and the ones that I've decided on actually help strengthen it in my opinion. Hope you all stick around to see what happens next!_


	4. 14: Oasis

Star Fox: Universe

Episode: 14

Season 2: 時間は誰の見方

Star Fox and Characters are Copyright to Nintendo as well as the themes related to them.

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Oasis

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_I'd like to thank Jaslazul for the incredibly insightful reviews! Because of you I've decided to try a few things with this chapter which I hope you will like. To everyone else, I apologize for how slow Season two has been moving story wise, but I'm really trying to get involved more with character depth in this season, something which I feel I was lacking on in the first. Hope you enjoy this chapter :3

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**Oasis: Katina**

A gentle breeze swept through the air over the small city of Oasis as an arwing hovered lazily overhead, seemingly taking into view the whole landscape below it. Katina was known only as, "the arid planet," when described in typical classrooms across the Lylat system. However, this city itself was reason enough for that title to be changed.

There was a vast lake constructed on the terrain, though it was voted that the perimeter not be shaped to look unnaturally. This was in turn surrounded by rolling green hills that spread as far as the eye could see, tall grasses swaying lazily as if the breeze was lightly brushing them with its own hands. A row of windmills stood tall over the distance, their propellers turning silently while cattle grazed below.

The city itself was rather plain and neatly kept and the tallest of buildings was about seven stories high and was surrounded by other smaller offices and shops. Each was built with a white and tan brick scheme that kept a uniform look that was comforting to the eyes. The streets were newly paved and the sidewalk shops were lightly dotted with customers of various races who were going about their mid-day routine. The image of warfare was far from the minds of these citizens.

About two miles away from the city stood another building made of sandy brick and donning a shabbier look than the uniformity of downtown. It wasn't tall but it was spread out very widely and even had several lanes of paved roads that acted as a landing strip for flights.

"That should be the McAllister Military Base," said Katt, looking down from her passenger seat in the arwing.

"Then I assume we'll be landing there, correct?" returned Peppy's weary voice. "Have we received proper authorization to land yet?"

"Just a moment; I'm inputting our access codes in now...There! We're authorized to land on strip 8."

Peppy nodded and directed the arwing to a steady descent as he circled around the base. As the ground grew closer, the hare lowered the ships wheels and as contact was made with the asphalt he pulled back on the lever to his right to brake. Slowly the arwing came to a halt, the two of them making sure all landing protocols were completed before opening the cockpit doors. Peppy could make out two figures waiting near for them near the hangar entrance as he stepped down from his seat and raised a hand to help Katt get to level ground with him.

"Looks like they've been waiting for us," she said, matching his gaze in the distance. "Hope we haven't kept those two waiting for too long."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he replied as he brushed dust off his jumper. "Just wish I could change into uniform before our meeting."

"Hah, I told you you should have worn that thing before we took off."

"Well you know how stubborn this old man is. Now c'mon, let's not keep them waiting for too much longer."

Katt followed closely behind the hare, wearing more formal attire than her friend. She made careful note at how lightly guarded the base appeared compared to what she was normally accustomed to on Corneria. Even their greeters were only guarded by two other soldiers, one next to the other official.

"It's glad to see you once more, Peppy," said Judge Krause as soon as they made hearing range of each other. The Tiger didn't show any signs of distress in his face, though the canine next to him seemed a bit frazzled.

"Pleasure is all mine," he replied as he took the Tiger's hand in gesture. "I suppose you have an update for us on the current situation of Corneria?"

"That will have to wait. It seems that our welcome to Oasis isn't really as hospitable as it appears."

"Is something going on?" asked Katt.

"Well, let's just say that the citizens haven't been the most cooperative bunch," answered Councilor Cooper as she brushed at a cowlick in her hair. "The majority of the citizens here are environmentalist and archeologist. They take pride in this city since it's the first heavily monitored artificial environment on this planet. Not to mention that the newly appointed head of staff is Sasha Malkovich."

Peppy raised a brow at the mention of that name. "I take it Sasha is doing well then?"

"You can say that she's just the same as she was when you first got acquainted with her."

"Well, all is well with her," interrupted Krause, "but she has caused quite a fuss since we've arrived in her utopia of sorts. However, we should continue this conversation back on our ship. This place is monitored more than you'd believe."

"Is the ship still up in space? I couldn't see it from our position in the Great Fox," said Katt.

"McAllister is actually an underground base. Everything you see topside is a front to the whole thing. This whole landing strip where you parked your arwing actually opens up into the true hangar bay. Our ship is actually right under us."

"Now that's impressive stealth technology," mused Peppy.

"In any case, let us make our way."

The two guards opened up the double doors and allowed the four of them to enter the brick building before following close behind. Just like the outside, the interior of the building was shabby and showed signs of ageing with the occasional cracks on the walls and floor. The hall was dimly lit due to poor lighting.

Katt nudged Peppy lightly and whispered, "Who is this Sasha person anyway? First time I've heard her name."

The hare gave a short grunt. "A rather hardheaded one, if you ask me. But if you want to know all the details, you're better off asking Bill."

"Bill? Why would he know…?"

"If you all would stand back a moment," said one of the guards before she could finish her sentence. Before them was what looked like an ordinary bookshelf lined with dusty old hardbacks.

"You've gotta be kidding," laughed Katt. "The old hidden door behind the bookshelf trick? Which book am I supposed to pull out to open the door?"

"Er, actually miss, that's just…a normal bookshelf. We're already standing on the elevator floor."

"Oh…I see," she replied with a blush.

The guard gave her a roguish grin as he reached up toward the lights above them and turned the bulb counterclockwise about 90 degrees. He lowered his hand quickly and shook it in mild pain as the floor shuddered before slowly descending. As they got lower the floor was replaced with another set of flooring that slid over the hole, masking the elevator's location.

"Well, I must admit I am impressed," said Peppy, as the true base came into view.

The party allowed the glass doors a moment to open before stepping out onto an elevated steel platform that gave view to a myriad of activity below. The most obvious land mark within the space was the large Flagship Tigress as it rested ahead of them, its massive size dwarfing the other machinery that whizzed around it. As they walked toward the ship the platform began to split off into four other directions; two led to control rooms whereas the last two led deeper into the interior of the underground base.

At the end of the walkway a retractable bridge was extended so that access into the flagship was available. The thick sliding doors opened for them as they entered and closed once more once they entered into the decompression chamber.

"Well now that that part is done," began Cooper, "I feel like I'm free to speak my mind once again."

"Just how heavily monitored is this place then?" asked Peppy.

"When we said heavily we weren't joking. The scientists here aren't really all that fond of the military, so they try to eavesdrop into what we are doing so they can one-up us should that be necessary."

"Isn't this against the law though?"

"On Corneria, yes. However, since this planet isn't officially under our control and the fact that Independence of the planet has been a subject of hot debate, we're forced to follow the laws that they've established for themselves."

"Then the person in charge is…"

"Mistress Malkovich," answered Krause. "Of course, the development of this colony was done under her supervision so she found it fit that her little "garden" be none other than hers."

"You'd think after we funded her program she'd be a bit fonder of us," Katt said bitterly.

"I'm sure your friend Bill can answer to part of that as well."

"You mean to tell us this girl's distaste of the military is all Bill's fault?"

Copper shrugged. "We find him partially responsible, but her history with the military has been rather sour. She lost her parents from the previous wars as well as her first kid during the Anglar invasion. How it happened, we don't know for sure, but ever since then she's been a rather sour sport."

The main doors into the ship then slowly slid open, giving way to several busy soldiers making their way about the ships halls.

"Well that took long enough," muttered Krause as he stepped forward. "Follow me; we'll be heading to the observation room."

Katt had decided to keep her mouth shut for the remainder of the walk, feeling that most of her answers wouldn't satisfy her curiosity. She gave Peppy a glance and saw that he too seemed to be walking in a daze, his mind drifting elsewhere. The ships intercom would occasionally chime as a female voice called out warnings and instructions. At one point, a soldier who was in a rush accidently ran into the feline as they cut a corner. She gave him a hard look while he stuttered his apologies before running off once more as Peppy would shake his head slowly and chuckle.

"In here please," beckoned Cooper as they approached another set of sliding, double doors. "We'll be alone in here for the next two hours or so before the rest of the observation team returns."

It looked like any other control center; the walls closest to the doors were lined with monitors and computer terminals, where as the center housed the holographic projector, very similar to the layout of the Great Fox's current bridge. The only difference lay in the front of the room, where instead of viewing windows were three monitors, the central one being the largest.

"Just take a seat toward the center," said Krause as he took the chair closest to the projector. "We should be receiving another transmission soon."

"The other officials, I assume," said Peppy as he and Katt took seats next to each other.

"Yes, a few of them. General Pepper may join us, but from what I've heard he's been having a bit of a hassle in MacBeth. Local crime families keep rushing into our military bases equipped with C4's and making a mess of things."

"Do we have any information in which families are now involved?" asked Katt.

"At the moment, we are only aware of the big names, such as the Coen Syndicate and Wallace's Crew. However smaller organizations are trying to jump the gun with these families to set up stronger ties. Unfortunately it's good business for them right now."

"However," began Cooper, "there are a few families that have come to us frightened and seeking military protection."

"And why is this?"

"Remember those bombers I just mentioned?" said Krause. "This is the most disturbing part, but all of the suicide bombers were often crying for help as they rushed to their deaths. We first thought it was just some sort of disguise for them, but the fact that all of these suicides are similar isn't natural. We've even had children rushing the walls not knowing what they're doing."

Cooper brushed off some hair from her eyes as she cleared her throat. "We did, however, manage to prevent one person from causing any damage. During interrogation though, the man kept muttering nonsense before suffering cardiac arrest."

Before she could say anymore, the far left monitor behind them suddenly came to life, revealing General Pepper behind his desk.

"Pepper! Nice to hear from you again," greeted Peppy.

"Yes, well, things seem to have finally calmed down here," he answered. "As for your request, Councilor, I'll be uploading the video footage on that suicide bomber."

"Thank you, General," the collie replied. "I'll display it on the main screen once it's ready."

The wait wasn't too long; when cooper finished her sentence the central monitor turned on, displaying a black and white video. It was obvious the camera was hidden behind the glass mirrors since the bottom left of the screen was cropped by the frame. There was one uniformed official in the room, his back to the camera, as well as an otter who was holding his head with both hands sat next to a small table.

"Why did you rush into MacBeth?" asked the officer.

"…."

"I'll repeat again, what were you trying to do rushing into our base?"

This was followed this time by the otter violently shaking his head. "I don't know! I don't know! I keep telling you that I don't know! Why do you keep asking me that question?"

The officer pulled out of his chair and slowly paced left and right in the room. "You were wearing enough C4 to blow up half of this base. Why is it that you were wearing more than your other friends?"

The otter slowly looked up at his interrogator, his eyes wet with tears. "My…family? Are they alive? Like me?"

"No, I'm sorry to say that they succeeded in blasting a hole in our perimeter…"

"No!" the otter wailed as he leaned into the table while burying his face in his arms. "We weren't supposed to die! We weren't supposed to die! If only we had…yes! If only we had joined…then…maybe we wouldn't have been killed!"

"Joined who?"

The otter was no longer paying attention to the officer. "That's it! If only we had agreed…they said we'd be monitored…We didn't know it would be like this…We could have lived! If only we joined…"

"Sir!" shouted the officer, his hands slapping onto the table causing the otter to jump from his daze. "Answer the questions! Why did your crime family rush into our base? Who were you trying to join?"

"You should know who," was the answer. "They've torn up your military and now you all are just scared. We could've been part of them but we were too scared. We didn't know what they were capable of. But now we know and now we're all going to die."

The film blurred for a second as the screen was filled with static, only to shortly return back to the interrogation, a few seconds off.

"These Pirates, how are they monitoring you?"

The otter was slowly shaking his head repeatedly. "I…don't know. They're watching…They're always watching. I don't know how…they just are."

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I can hear them…A woman's voice and a man's. They're angry. They keep screaming at me…"

"What are they saying?"

"I …don't know…They're yelling in a different language…I can't understand it…But I know they're yelling at me."

"Can you repeat anything they are saying?"

"No…wait…I'll…try…" He hesitated before muttering, "tiye…DeLreW…aWeLkEws…"

Clearly the officer didn't understand, but sat down anyway and appeared to be writing down what he heard. "Now, again, why did you rush our base?"

"Again with that question! I told you, I don't know."

"You must know something? Did your family decide together to do it?"

"No! We didn't want to die! We're just a small…we're small. We're more interested in money, not murder or suicide. We had no choice! They made us do it!"

"Who is, "they"?"

"I already told you! They can see me! I can feel their eyes watching me. Watching you! Watching EVERYONE!" The otter stood up quickly in his passion. "Can't you feel them!? Can't you feel it at all?!"

"Sir, I'm gonna need you to sit down! Now!" The officer himself was now standing, one hand beckoning the otter to calm down, however he wouldn't comply.

"They know I'm alive! They know I've failed! They know what's going to happen. They know what you're going to do next even! They know! They know! They know! They…" Immediately, he began to choke, instinctively clutching a hand on his throat and chest. He tried uttering a few more words but nothing understandable came out. The officer finally went around the table to his side, unsure of what to do as slowly, the otter fell to the floor in a soft thud."

"Sir? …sir!"

The video finally cut off, the central screen once again returning black.

"What just…happened?" asked Katt after a moment's pause.

"Cardiac arrest," replied Cooper simply. "As you can see, the video doesn't tell us too much, other than that the guy was delusional."

Peppy was rubbing his chin, lost in thought while the others remained silent. "The only thing I can think of is asking our new friend for information."

Katt nodded in agreement. "From previous interrogations, we've learned that these Pirates are the Federations number one enemies. I guess it's safe that we can get someone to ask him for as much information as possible. Otherwise, we find a way to beat it out of him. Use Krystal even."

The hare cocked his head sideways a bit. "You seem rather harsh towards him now. Did something happen?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I'd rather not discuss it now. However, our situation has grown worse over the past few days; I think the time for clear answers has come."

"I'm sad to say, but I do agree with Katt on this one," Peppers voice replied through the monitor. "We can't stall for answers anymore while lives are at stake. We'll have to bring in Aeyr for heavy interrogations."

"It's sad to mention that the general masses find him at fault for our current situation also," Cooper added in. "The people won't be satisfied unless something happens relating to him."

"That's right; which brings up another matter," said Krause as he nodded. "Katt, we need you to help Councilor Cooper with dealing with the public. With Councilor Lane taken hostage, we need someone to take her place next to Ricks, who has been growing rather restless in his demands."

Katt didn't even try to hide herself shudder in distaste. "Wow, I have to coop up with that old geezer?"

"For the time being, yes. Until we are able to rescue Lane, or if we are even able to, we need someone to fill in her place."

"Don't worry about rescuing," Katt said firmly, her eyes looking away. "We'll save her for sure…"

"It's good to be optimistic," he said bowing his head slightly. "Especially in difficult times as these…However, for now, all we can really do is gather information. As of yet, we haven't heard directly from the Chancellor, but we are expecting our reconnaissance teams to give us an update within the hour."

"Well then," Cooper said as she got up from her seat. "I guess this means that Ms. Monroe and I should get to work working with the citizens of Oasis." She gave the feline a reassuring look.

"Here? Just what are we going to do?" Having just been promoted by so many levels, Katt didn't want to mess up so soon.

"Nothing too much, just trying to calm the citizens here that we aren't going to strip them of their little Oasis. You wouldn't imagine how much hate we've already been receiving…"

Katt gave Peppy one last look before she too got up and followed the collie out the door, leaving the three men alone in the room.

"I didn't want to mention it while Ms. Monroe was in here," started Krause, "but we've been receiving some disturbing reports on what is happening in Corneria as we speak."

"We still have communication with the planet?" asked Peppy amazed.

"It's currently classified, but do you remember how Cooper mentioned that we couldn't evacuate everyone from the planet?"

Peppy squinted his eyes slightly as he nodded. "Yes, I do recall."

"We actually stationed a squadron to remain there and monitor the Pirate's activities from a distance. How long this will last, we aren't certain. However, what we do know now is that several civilians are being captured and experimented on. There are reports of horribly deformed creatures wandering the streets making a mess of things." He noticed Peppy's horrified expression and paused before finishing. "We have yet been able to capture one of these mutants; however, our troops are working their hardest to do so."

"There is also the problem of those jelly fish that were placed on Corneria. We've already lost a few careless soldiers to them and apparently they've started spreading at an alarming rate."

"Dear God," Peppy muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "So you're afraid that Lane could possibly be…"

Krause nodded solemnly. "We're afraid her chances of survival are low. I just didn't want to alarm Ms. Monroe too much. There is a lot of work to be done and we need everyone focused."

"I understand. However, just what do you want Star Fox to do?" Peppy gave Pepper a quick glance as he continued. "For now, they were told to stay on standby till further information was given."

"Yes, about that," said Pepper, "We've gotten a lead on the Pirates next target. We believe that the Beltino Laboratories has caught their interest and that they'll be headed to Aquas soon to investigate. We'll need Star Fox keep an eye of the area and engage the enemy if necessary."

"Very well. Shall I tell them myself?"

"You'll have to relay a message. There are still several things we need you to do here in Katina for us. Most notably rallying support along for our cause since Katt and Cooper will be leaving with Krause once we're all set."

Peppy took a moment to think about his new responsibilities before letting out a soft sigh. "Alright, I'll tell them right now."

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**Great Fox: Katina General Airspace**

Falco yawned lazily and stared blankly at the projector as Peppy finished giving off his speech. The avian wasn't too happy that he was the only one who was woken up to answer the call while everyone else slept, and thus, he was rather grouchy.

"Did you get all of that, Falco?" Peppy's transparent figure asked.

"I heard ya, old man!" he replied. "I'll relay the message directly to the others once they've waken up. But jeez, couldn't you have waited till we were all ready before deciding to head to land?"

Peppy's eyes squinted slightly. "This is a very important matter, Falco. Duty calls, and so I had to leave. I'll give Katt your regards."

"Yeah, I'll see her once we get down there. Falco out." The display dimmed and the ghostly image of the hare slowly vanished, leaving the room dark with only the monitor lights and the stars giving off any illumination.

Realizing that he was still dressed for bed, the avian lazily got up from his seat and towards the sliding doors. "R.O.B. set a course to Oasis in Katina. I'mma wake myself up a bit."

"Complying," the machines voice monotoned. "Estimated time of arrival, ten minutes."

Falco could feel the engines coming to life through the vibrations his bare feet felt from the cold floor. He yawned and passed through several doors, noticing that he could hear Bill's snoring from the medical bay. There was a soft hum of music coming from Slippy's room; the toad preferred to sleep with some noise.

Upon reaching his room, the first thing the avian did was flop back onto his bed. He took a deep breath before glaring at the 7:36 being displayed on the clock to his left. It was far too early for his usual routine. He thought for a moment how Peppy and Fox were able to pull off waking up like so early and realized that Fox himself hadn't woken up yet.

"Augh, let him sleep in his own self pity," he mumbled out loud and got back up. He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt from his laundry basket, taking a mental note that he should wash them when he got back and made his way to the ships bathroom and showers across the hall. Fox's alarm was blaring as he made it to the door, causing him to pause for a second to hear it quickly go off. He shrugged and continued what he was doing, closing the door behind him.

In actuality, Fox had been up for a good thirty minutes and wasn't up to answering Peppy's call when he heard the ring. He laid there just staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts of the previous night settle in his mind.

_Perhaps opening up to Krystal like that wasn't such a good idea_, he thought. _And maybe I was a bit too harsh on Lyle…I wonder where he ended up sleeping._ Fox looked over at the long couch that was in his room and at the folded blanket that remained untouched. A short pang of guilt ran through him as he looked away. _I can't let it bother me now…I should get up._

The vulpine quickly dressed into his usual green attire and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His age was starting to show in his fur, he realized as he noticed his face was slowly growing whiter around his eyes and muzzle. It wasn't a very comforting thought, but he shrugged it off and left his room, hearing the showers going in the bathroom as he walked aimlessly in the hallway.

The rec room doors were open as he approached them. He stood at the mouth of the room and noticed that Lyle was sleeping rather uncomfortably in a lounge chair in the corner of the room. Fox frowned, lost in his thoughts. After a moment of hesitation, he returned to his room to grab the blanket and back toward Lyle, draping him in it before turning away.

"Entering Katina atmosphere," R.O.B.'s voice echoed over the intercom. "Minor disturbances possible as we land. Please be prepared."

Fox grabbed onto the door frame as the ship shook slightly. Once he felt he could maintain his balance, he released his grip and started toward the bridge.

"You gave me the blanket?"

The vulpine turned his head, seeing that Lyle was leaning against the door frame behind him. "Yeah," he replied sheepishly while he turned to face him. "Hey, look. About last night. I'm…"

"Don't…worry about it." His gaze was on the tile floor rather than at Fox, making his red bruise visible under his eyes; the guilt returned to the vulpine who shuddered slightly. "It doesn't really matter anymore."

_He's still thinking like that,_ Fox thought to himself, annoyed. He decided not to argue about it at the moment. "I'm sorry if I woke you. We'll be landing shortly."

"It was the intercom."

He blinked for a second till he realized what he meant. "Oh, that. Sorry. We've been meaning to quiet it down a bit but it's not in the top of our priority list." Lyle's slow nod told him that he was still tired. "If…you want to sleep some more, just take my bed. My rooms just over there." He turned around and pointed to the second door to their left.

"Thanks," he replied weakly, slowly walking into the door with the blanket wrapped around him.

With that out of the way, Fox continued on his way toward the bridge, giving Falco a nod as he came out of the showers wearing a towel at his waist while holding another in his hands.

"You missed Peppy's message, Foxie," he said rather grumpily as he dried the feathers in his head.

"I'm sorry about that, Falco. What did he say exactly?"

"Nothing too much; just to resupply on Oasis where we'll be given instructions. Looks like we'll be heading to Aquas, though."

Fox yawned. "What would they want with Aquas?"

Falco shrugged and shook his head. "Hey. You're asking the wrong guy here. I'm sure Peppy will be more than happy to explain once we get down."

"Regardless, I don't think Slippy will be happy to hear about this."

"Yeah, yeah," replied the avian indifferently, returning back into his room and leaving Fox alone.

The vulpine eyed at the guest room door next to Slippy's quarters and hesitated before knocking the doors. "Krystal, we're preparing to land. You might want to get up."

He could hear bed sheets rustling from within, as well as a groan. A small smile escaped him as the door quickly slid open, a tired Krystal squinting her eyes at him, wearing nothing but her underware. Fox gasped in surprise and quickly looked away, his face turning slightly red.

"Oh, come on," complained Krystal. "It's not like you haven't seen me like this before."

"Well, not seeing you with barely anything on in almost a year is rather abrupt, don't you think?" he answered, still not looking at her in the eye.

"Whatever…" she turned back into her room, leaving the door open as she began to rummage through the drawers for clothing. "What was it? I couldn't hear you from behind that door."

"We'll be landing shortly," he repeated, now taking quick glimpses at Krystal. Seeing her blue body like that once again shot another pang of guilt through Fox as the memories of their time together began to creep up, causing him to look away once more.

"You're still troubled by that, aren't you?" She said, her back still facing him. "You like to dwell in the past, don't you?"

"I think we're both dwelling in the past."

She didn't reply at his remark, aware that he didn't have to read her mind to know her feelings. "So I suppose that we'll never get further than that then. A married couple still caught up with bad memories and incapable of progressing." There was a small thud as the drawers shut and the vixen turned around to face him, a small wad of clothing in her hands. "Isn't that right?"

Fox just stared her in the face, not knowing how to reply. He sighed and looked down the empty hall, his eyes readjusting to the light.

"Arrival at Oasis. Landing instructions required. Please report to the bridge," echoed R.O.B.'s voice, Fox shaking his head in frustration.

"Hey, we'll talk later then," he decided to say.

"Sure we will…" Krystal walked by him, brushing against his shoulder. "For now I'll take a shower. If I'm not done by the time we land I'll catch up with everyone later."

He watched her vanish into the bathroom door across the hall before turning back towards the bridge, the sliding doors hissing softly as he entered the dark room. R.O.B. was standing at the corner of the room, his red visor softly illuminating the terminal he was working with.

"Morning, R.O.B.," he muttered as he sat down onto his captains chair, his eyes focusing at the blinking red flash coming from the smallest monitor on his terminal. With a few key strokes, the screen lit up, flooding his body in light, his eyes squinting to adjust.

"This is Oasis Terminal, 0-4. Unidentified aircraft, we request that you input your authorization code onto your terminal and send it our way."

His hands did the work, quickly pressing down the codes that they had for many years now.

"Authorization received," replied the voice. "Ship flagship, Great Fox, registered to…wow! Fox McCloud!? Is that really you, Star Fox?"

"Yeah, it's us," Fox replied casually, covering his mouth as he yawned once more. The surprised reactions were growing old. "Where should we land?"

"Oh, right…" said the voice, recomposing himself. "First of all, our scanners show that your main windows are still closed. If you'd remove your blast shields, you can see better."

"R.O.B., would you do that for me," said Fox, looking back from his seat, the robot hitting a few buttons before a soft hum surrounded them and sunlight flooded into the room, causing the vulpine to cover his eyes and letting a few curses escape his mouth. "Alright, they're open. Now what?"

"Thanks, sir! Err…You've been approved to land on dock 7 in the Oasis Port."

The location zoomed in on the large monitors in front, showing a concrete bridge extending outwards into the lake. "You want us to land in the water?"

"Is that a problem?"

He rubbed his chin and thought for a second. "No, it isn't. Just the first time we've been requested this. Thanks for authorization."

"No problem!" There was a moment's hesitation before the attendant spoke once more. "Excuse me again, Mr. McCloud. We've received word that Bill Grey is part of your crew at the moment. Is this correct?"

"Yes, it is. Is there a problem?"

"Our chief scientist has requested that should he wish to visit his son, he is to speak with her first. She's arranging a meeting at the North-East Alkali ruin's site. Please relay to him this message."

Fox let off a soft groan, realizing that things had complicated a bit. "Alright I'll tell him. We'll be landing now." The voice once more said his farewells as he told R.O.B. the landing coordinates. "Oh, and make sure the hangar bay doors remain closed to avoid water damage," he added as he got up and left the room.

He could hear a loud gasp coming from the bathroom as the ship shuddered upon contact with the water. The impact had also caused Bill to wake up, who shouted out in surprise for a moment as a soft thud rang in Fox's ears; he probably fell from his bed. Bill's head slowly peeked out of the med lab doors and met his eyes. "We've landed?"

"Yeah, we have." He hesitated for a moment. "Bill, your ex wants to see you before you…"

"Ugh, that bitch is still here?" he snorted, closing the doors. "I thought she'd leave that hell-hole years ago!"

"We're gonna have us some drama now, aren't we!" said Falco's excited voice as he came out of his door. He tossed his communicator to Fox who caught it effortlessly. "You hold on to that, I'm gonna want to explore once we get our orders."

Fox shook his head, "Thanks Falco."

"Well look! I got a smile outta you. Guess you owe me somethin' now."

'Yeah whatever," he chuckled. "Go on and wake Slippy up for me, I'm gonna head outside. Could use some fresh air."

"You and me both, man. You wouldn't believe this headache I'm having. This is why I don't wake up early!" He knocked loudly on the nearby door. "Yo, Slip! Wake up! We're here. Get dressed and meet us outside Pronto!"

They could hear a startled cry as well as the sound of objects falling from inside, followed by Slippy groaning disapprovingly.

"Bet he knocked over his end table again. Hah! Love it when he does that," said Falco. "You ready Foxie? Let's go outside."

Fox nodded, the two of them heading to the end of the hall as Slippy stumbled out of his room, begging them to wait up as he hurriedly pulled up a pair of jeans that were hanging from his ankles, unaware of Lyle keeping a close eye on them.

He kept his distance, following stealthily behind them as they entered the docking bay; the wide doors slowly opening with a mechanic hum while the sunlight and salty air flooded in. Slippy's groggy complaints were loud enough to be heard echoing across the room, quickly followed by laughs and jokes from Falco. When he was satisfied that the three of them had walked far enough from the ship and closer to town, Lyle placed a hand on his headset to activate his visor in order to check the message he had just received.

_Aeon-Compatible Technology Located: Coordinates unknown. Signal is scrambled by an unknown shield._

_Locate the source of the shield,_ he thought. Immediately an arrow pointed him northward, away from town toward a chain of windmills. Lyle looked once more at the small figures of Fox and the others before running out onto the concrete pier, unaware that he himself was being watched from the distance…

**

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Next Episode: The Birth of an Adventurer  


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**

_Yeah, so this is another of my late updates…and once again another slow chapter. I'm actually enjoying writing this way at the moment since describing things a bit more slowly makes me feel that I'm getting ideas from my own mind out more clearly. _

_No idea when the next update will be, seeing as how I'm in the middle of mid-terms and school/work take up a lot of time. I'll keep everyone posted. Reviews would be nice :3_

**Scans of Lylat**

_**Oasis**__: _The "gem of Katina"_. _Taking it upon herself, Doctor Sasha Malkovich, fed up with how inadequate Corneria had been supplying her research team, set up a guinea pig experiment on land reform and environmental tampering. The results having been astonishingly successful, she set up a facility on Katina to create a larger scale version of her experiment onto the Planet Katina. Once again, having proven to be one of the most successful experiments on environmental monitoring, Oasis is now a self sufficient and growing city. However, due to poor military support as well as bad ties from the past, the city holds a strong grudge against the military and a stronger one against Corneria.

_New Scans. I'm going to leave it up to reviewers to pick the next scans they would like to know about from this "universe". Looking forward to what you'd like to know about!_


	5. 15: The Birth of an Adventurer

Star Fox: Universe

Episode: 15

Season 2: 時間は誰の見方

Star Fox and Characters are Copyright to Nintendo as well as the themes related to them.

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**Birth of an Adventurer

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**

_Oasis: Lakeside Research Facility_

"In here. This is the Lakeside room."

Bill placed a free hand over his eyes to adjust to the sunlight that poured into the room. He looked over to his recent acquaintance, a white mouse, and gave him a quick nod.

"Dr. Malkovich will see you in a few moments…" The husky took notice at the man's nervous behavior, already annoyed at how he kept fidgeting.

"I'm sure I'll be alright in here by myself. You can go," he said catching the mouse off guard. "Please, just go," he added in a softer tone and slumped lazily onto the nearest leather couch. His eyes remained fixed on the oak door even after it closed with a slight creak.

A small hiccup escaped him, the smell of alcohol still lingering in his breath. For the past few hours, he had had a hard time trying to convince himself to pay a visit to the facility. He was brought to this very room before during his last visit four years ago, though it was better renovated now and none of the windows were shattered. Or was it that he threw out a chair and shattered it himself? He shrugged, not really giving it anymore thought and allowed his mind to swirl in a drunken stupor.

That was how Sasha and Bill eventually created their relationship; relying on liquor so they could be around each other without ever realizing why. They were both quite aware that being together was in no way going to last; however under Sasha's insistence as well as with their son's birth, Bill agreed to marriage with reluctance. The result was three years of "hell" which ended violently when Bill found his weapons involuntarily pawned for research supplies. Her excuse at the time was that they brought his "war-mongering" influence into the house, though she told all her colleagues later that they were a hazard to their kid.

His ears gave a slight twitch as he picked up the sound of hurried footsteps from the other side of the door. He quickly sat back up on the couch, correcting his posture.

"Vwell, vwell, if it izn't Bill Grey," Sasha said shrewdly, adjusting her red spectacles with a free hand. Her outfit consisted of her usual attire; a red top, black skirt and a lab coat draping around her like every other person in the facility. Though she was a husky, she was of a caramel and white coloration compared to Bill. "Looking to add more mizery to my life?"

"Hello to you too, Sasha," he grunted, staring back at her fiercely. "I see that you are well."

"Cut za small talk, Bill. I know you vwant to get jis over with az quikly az I do." She hastily took a seat on the sofa across from him and crossed her legs.

"Well then, speak woman! I know you have something you want to spit out."

"Our son. So you've desided zat you shuld vizit him after leaving uz for four yearz. Tell me juzt why the hell shuld I let you even see him?"

There was nothing he could say in response to her question, unsure if it was the alcohol inhibiting him or something else. "I've been really busy," he decided to say. "I've had a lot of missions to do as of late."

"Yez. Alwayz za mishuns. Never za family. Thatz how it alwayz wuz with you. Putting your war-mongering above uz."

He glared back at her, refusing to answer.

"Again, juzt why shuld you be allowd to zee him?"

"You talk as if he's some sort of prized possession of yours. Mind you, I am still the kid's father and have just as much right as you to see him when I like."

"Hah," she scoffed, covering her mouth. "Itz funny! You dizappear and think itz okay to come back after zo long! Heck, and wiz ze entire Cornerian fleet wiz you! Do you really think that I'j give up all my hard work for a ton of power-hungry foolz?"

"Do you really think everything is about you," he scowled. "For once in your life can you just look outside of this messed up utopia of yours and realize that there are other issues more important than your own?"

"Enuff!" The vixen bit her lip in contempt. "I vwill not zit here to merely be critizized by you!"

"There you go again, avoiding the situation at hand! Listen, I'm still injured from my last bit of "war-mongering"," he pointed to the bandage on his head, "and hearing that obnoxious accent of yours isn't doing much for my headache! So can we please bypass all this bullshit and let me see our kid?"

Sasha was taken aback by his sudden stern demeanor and readjusted her glasses uncomfortably. Before she could deny his request there was a quick knock on the door. "Come in," she barked out curtly.

The same mouse who had escorted Bill into the room reappeared, this time accompanied by a young husky about the age of seven, wearing a blue, stripped shirt and khaki shorts. The young boy nervously glanced at his mother then over to Bill, unsure of what to do.

"Doctor, something has come up," said the mouse nervously. "General Pepper and Peppy wish to speak with you over at military facility. They said it was an urgent matter that would interest you."

Sasha let out an irritated sigh as she stood up quickly. "Now what do thoz eimbezilez vwant? We've already told zem we wuld not be offering any suppliez. Juzt what could zey have to interest me?" Her frustrations grew when he shrugged back at her. "Well zen, take me to zem. Letz get zis matter over wiz quickly!"

He nodded and they quickly exited the room, ignoring the two they left behind in the room. Bill and the young canine exchanged looks of bewilderment at what had just happened, though neither knew how to begin a conversation.

"Hi," began the boy, taking a small step backward. "So…you're my dad?"

Bill hesitated to answer, his head still spinning. "So, I see you've grown, Atlas."

Atlas moved closer and let the door close behind him. "You don't seem weird looking. Mom always said you were a 'jik-face' so I thought you'd be funny looking."

"Excuse me?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Oh I don't know what it is yet either. I think it had something to do with your face so I thought you were deformed or something at first."

Bill quickly erupted into laughter and got up to pat his son on the head. "Yeah, I'm "jik-face" but I think you're a bit young to learn what it really means. You'll have to learn that your mother's accent is as thick as her temper."

"Oh…" he used a paw to push aside his hand. "Everyone says I can't understand things till I'm older," he said angrily. "I hate it."

"Tell me about it. I had to deal with that sh-" he paused, noticing Atlas was still watching him. "-…crap all the time." Then in a more serious tone, "Did she even notice you were in here? She just stormed outta here without giving you any mind."

"No, probably not," he shrugged. "Whenever something with work comes up Mom's quick to jump at it. I'm used to it really, so I don't mind."

"Wow, and she preached herself to be the ideal mother to me… Well, you wanna sit and talk over ice cream? Kids your age still like ice cream, right?"

The young canine gave it a quick thought. "Actually…could we head over to the windmill ruins?"

Bill gave him a look. "You'd choose rocks over ice cream? Why do you wanna go there?"

"Well," he shuffled uneasily from where he stood, "before I ran to see you, I was looking at the ship that docked in the lake. No one has done that before so I was looking at it with my binoculars and something weird came out of it."

"Something weird?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said excitedly. "Or, someone actually. I've never seen anything or anyone like it. And it also flew over the water! Least, I think it did."

It took Bill a second to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, I think you mean Aeyr. He's some alien kid we're interested in."

"So he's actually an alien then? Can we see him? I want to see him! Let's go! I can tell you about my life on the way." Then with a rather dark tone, he added, "That is why you're here to see me for, right?"

"I see you've got some of your mother in you after all," he sighed. "Alright. I don't know where I'm going so you can lead the way."

"Perfect," replied Atlas quickly, a victorious smile painted on his face while he tugged Bill's hand out the door. "I knew you'd agree with me. Mom doesn't like it when I play spy, though. She says…" He seemed hesitant to continue and waited for an approving look from the taller canine. "Well…Mom says it's war-mongering. And that I'd end up like my dad."

It stung Bill to hear for only a moment, though if he was completely sober he would've probably lingered on it a while longer. The boy, however, wasn't sure if he had upset him or not and decided to remain silent till they had left the facility and into the open sunlight.

Any outsider could easily tell the two were related without even asking. Atlas had inherited the same color scheme as his father; a rather simple black and white coloration though it was already apparent that he would end up fluffier. The black coated most of his fur besides the whites that appeared like socks as well as the spot on his face, making it seem as if he had dipped his nose into a bucket of paint. His eyes were a hazel color, in contrast to the blues of both his parents.

Staring at him sent a pang of nostalgia of his own childhood, and how eager and innocent he would've been considered. It also reminded him that they were supposed to be catching up in the four years he missed.

"Hey, slow down a bit," he complained, realizing he had started to drift behind in the kid's eager pace. "I thought we were going to talk a bit?"

"I thought you were mad at me," Atlas replied.

"Well, it takes quite a bit to get me mad, don't worry about it." He rushed up a bit till the boy was by his side once more. "So, uh. How is school here? You doing well?"

He shrugged. "It's alright. I mean, it's boring but the classes are easy. Nothing really interesting goes on unless Dr. Wight brings in findings from the ruins."

"I see. So I guess you like those ruins and stuff then? You seemed so eager to go find Aeyr."

"Well, I like weird stuff. Kids say I'm weird because of it though. Mom says I'll make a good archeologist one day because I keep finding stuff in the ruins. She sends me over there whenever she's busy."

"She doesn't watch over you?"

Atlas shook his head. "I only see her when I get home, but all she does is go to bed by then. We don't really talk much, but she's always happy whenever I find something at the ruins or get good grades and stuff." He looked up at his father this time, seeing him lost in thought. "Are you okay?"

"Oh? Yeah! I'm fine," he replied somewhat startled. "Was just wondering, you're not lonely or anything are you? I mean, you do have friends to play with?"

"Not really," Atlas sighed. "The other kids are boring. All they want to do is play some stupid game."

"Kids your age usually like games. Don't you like to play?"

"Chasing after some lame ball all day isn't fun."

"Well many games can be fun if you give them a try."

He shrugged again.

Eventually they changed subjects into more interesting ones, such as their favorite heroes, food, and even a little about Bill's adventures in space, something Atlas seemed heavily interested in. They continued heading northward at a leisurely pace now, allowing themselves enough time to reach their destination. What few people there were on the paved and quiet streets didn't pay them any mind, and went off on their daily business. As they were approaching the city gates, Bill had only began talking about how he and Fox had gotten in trouble in the academy when they were partnered in a week-long field experience exercise.

"It all sounds like a lot of fun. I mean, compared to this boring city," Atlas muttered, shuffling his feet somewhat angrily on the pavement."I wish something exciting would happen sometime."

"It all sounds exciting," replied Bill, "but it isn't all the fun you're making it out to be." He kept his gaze in the distance. "Things aren't going well at all outside of here. Some alien species has completely taken over Corneria and the army is scattered all over the system. Hell, I lost my whole team on an undercover mission to those fuckers..." There was a small gasp at the curse, and Bill shook his own head, forgetting who he was talking to.

"I'm sorry about your friends," Atlas said apologetically after a moment, his ears flattened. "I didn't know anything like that was going on."

"And that's what everyone else in this town is saying," said another voice from behind them.

"Katt? What brings you here," asked Bill after turning around. He saw her give the younger pup a quick look. "Ah, this is Atlas. My kid."

Her eyes quickly darted back at him before she knelt down in front of the kid. "Well hello there, little guy! How are you?"

"I'm okay," he replied while wiping his own nose. "Who are you?"

"She's a friend of me and Fox's," Bill answered. "She's been with us since the academy days too."

"Uh-oh. What stories is your dad telling you now?"

"He told me that he got caught sneaking into the girls showers once."

"Oh yes, I remember this," she said, standing back up and glaring at Bill. "I also remember giving someone a good punch in the face because of it."

"Yeah, well," he blushed while scratching the back of his head, "I was young then."

"Hopefully you'll pick up better manners, right little guy?" She smiled as Atlas shrugged and turned back to Bill. "Have you seen Aeyr? We want to ask him more questions. Try to get some real answers."

"More interrogations?"

"Yes, and we're going to be firm with him this time. For all his actions, he's taken little to no responsibility to what has happened."

"You seem really upset at him. Did something happen?"

She glared back fiercely. "If he has information that could help get Lane back, I want it."

"Oh, right. I forgot she got kidnapped during the invasion. I don't think they'll do anything too bad to her, Katt. She is a government official after all."

"Which is why I'm even more worried. We believe that the Pirates will try to pull some bargain for her safety. Or kill her as a show of power. Does that sound like anything bad to you, Bill?"

"Whoa! Calm down, now," he said raising his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean to make you angry. Just trying to cheer you up…You know?"

Katt sighed and looked away. "I'm sorry. I've just been really tensed up lately. How are you doing? You and your kid?"

Bill smiled. "We're getting along just fine! Right?" He looked around and couldn't see the boy anywhere. "Atlas?" Quickly both of them looked around their surroundings, unable to find any trace of where he had run off to.

* * *

_Oasis: North Windmill Ruins_

In all earnestness, Atlas hated listening to older people gripe. He heard enough of it from his mother's drunken complaints at night while he would direct her to bed safely and tuck her in. With both Katt and Bill too busy talking about their problems, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to go and get what he wanted done and quickly slipped away, rushing past the city gate and into the wide, grassy plains that surrounded Oasis.

This was something he felt the other kids in his school didn't appreciate. To be able to run freely and unrestrained in an open field was an exhilarating feeling. While they liked to meddle with their math problems, he liked to dig in the dirt. Even for the age of seven, he was already considered a prodigy by the archeology department of Oasis. It was even because of a random dig that he himself had found the ruins.

The sound of the windmills creaking slowly grew louder as he made his approach. The ruins site rested on top of what used to be a hill, but was now a large ditch. He carefully descended from his position into the bare earth a few feet below him and gave the surrounding a quick look. There was a small tent to his left as well as a few tables that were roofed by larger covers. To his right was a mid-sized industrial drill which was used to crack open the ruins stone doors. However, there was no sign of his target anywhere. He even gave the ground a quick look and couldn't make out any peculiar footprints other than those made from the other researchers or his own.

He scampered toward the ruin's entrance, only to see that the entrance was still sealed; the researchers had feared that thieves may be interested in the ruins and constructed a thick door that could only be opened with proper clearance.

Quite casually, he moved over toward the control panel to the left and entered the pass code. The doors slowly groaned and opened with a reluctant hiss.

"I assume this is a new trick for kids?"

Atlas jumped at the new voice, and looked above to see the human standing on top of the door. He wore a slightly bewildered expression on his face as he stared down at him.

"Y-you're Aeyr, aren't you?"

"I guess everyone knows me by now, huh?" He jumped down onto equal equal with Atlas. "What's a kid like you doing here?"

"I…uh..I.."

"Atlas!" Bill cried from the other end of the ruins, quickly sliding down to meet up with them. "Don't you DARE run off like that on me again!" He walked up closer, staring down at the pup.

"誰？" Both of the canines gave confused looks toward Aeyr. "Sorry…Who are you two?"

"Oh, I'm Bill," he extended a hand in greeting. "I'm Fox's friend. We were both in the Great Fox together, actually, but you were passed out the whole time or in some other end of the ship before we could meet."

"Really…"

"Yeah, and this here is my kid, Atlas."

"Hello," he said softly. "So you're this alien, right?"

Whatever expression that was displayed was again, difficult to read. "I guess you could call me an alien. But call me Lyle. Aeyr seems too…formal to me."

"That sounds too normal," the pup complained.

"Ahah, don't mind him. He's just being a kid," added in Bill, waving his hands apologetically. "So…Lyle. What brings you here, of all places? Katt was looking for you."

He grunted. "The cat probably wants to ask me more questions. I'm not all that interested in your governments games. As for why I'm here, something caught my interest."

"Are you going to explore the ruins then," interrupted Atlas, seeing him turn towards the entrance. "I've been here lots of times, so I can show you around."

"Oh no! You've already gotten into enough trouble, who knows what dangers could be in that place," Bill admonished. "Besides, it's probably time you got back to your mother."

"And what would you know?" Atlas replied, stomping a foot on the ground. "You've been gone for four years and all of the sudden you want to be my father? Well I've done fine on my own without you so stop trying!" Before Bill could reply, he quickly ran through the doors, making distance between the two of them.

"Heh…kids," he said sheepishly, keeping his eyes on the floor as his communicator on his wrist gave off a few pings. "Bill here."

"Bill? This Katt. Did you find him?"

"Yeah, I found him. He ran off from me though, so I'm gonna have to play cat and mouse for a while."

"I see…Try and make it quick. We'd like to hear your story about what happened in the Pirate ship once more. Also, it seems that Dr. Malkovich has gone missing. So try to keep an eye out for her, even though I know you don't too."

"Ugh, I suppose I can bare with it after I find Atlas. Bill out."

"You go," said Lyle, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go in and find your kid."

He met the human's eyes, and thought about it. "We've barely met, and you'd do that for me?"

"I can find him a lot faster than you with my scanner," he pointed to his headset. "Besides, you're apparently still a bit drunk off alcohol I believe the last thing you need is to be wandering around helplessly in there."

Bill hesitated. "Alright, fine. Just send him back to the Lakeside facility when you're done. I've got me another dog to find…" He started to run out of the dig site, but quickly turned to give his thanks and made his way.

Lyle stared at his direction for a while. "To treat children as if they're nothing...," he thought aloud.

"I'm used to it."

He turned and saw the young pup leaning on the door frame. "I can do this on my own, you can go,"

"Oh, but I don't want to. You're too interesting to leave behind." He extended his hand, similar to his father earlier. "I'm Atlas, and you're stuck with me no matter what," he smiled.

Lyle stared a bit at him, lost in thought. He could make out that the kid was 6 to 8 years old, according to his scanner. Unfortunately, he also always had a soft spot for children, not to mention puppies. He shrugged and took his hand. "Just don't get in the way."

"It's too late for that now, isn't it? So what brings you here? I've been around these ruins several times already so I can lead you wherever, really." He eyed the human fiddle with a few buttons on his headset. "What's that doing, anyway?"

"I picked up a strange signal from the Great Fox. Apparently there's some technology compatible with my suit in here. I'm curious as to why something like this would be located this far from Aeon, as well as if it'll supply me with enough energy to reclaim my power suit."

"Aeon?" Lyle finally went through the entrance and made his way down the long corridor at a quick pace that Atlas had to jog to keep up. "What's an Aeon?"

"It's my home planet. Well, the one I was raised on, anyway."

"Oh. Cool. Is it far away?"

"It's not located in this system or any near it."

"So that's far then?"

"Yes."

"If it's far, how did you get here?"

"Wormhole."

"Really? That stuff hasn't been properly developed, last I heard."

Lyle stopped and looked back at him. "And what would you know about wormhole technology? This stuff is pretty advanced, why would you pay so much attention to it?"

He shrugged. "My mom is a scientist and all her friends are too. I hear a lot of things."

"Uh-huh…wait a second," Lyle squinted his eyes a bit, looking at the fork in the road they had managed to come across. The left route was dark, and the electric lamps that had lined the wall up until then didn't go further. The right, however, remained lit, the sandy, brick walls looking to go on endlessly.

"We haven't excavated the left side yet," said Atlas. "The material in the walls over there is of a strange material, our drill can't break through it easily."

Lyle set his scanner to find the source of the signal once more, sure that the left side would be their next route. His guess was confirmed, though his scanner also noted other foreign signals originating further in as well. The warning indicator remained blue, so there wasn't anything that could pose any real threat.

"But its dark over there," complained Atlas, as Lyle took a step in that direction.

"I can set my visor to night vision. If you're scared of the dark, just go back to that facility your dad told you to go to."

He thought about it for a second, watching Lyle's figure slowly vanish in the dark. Returning to the disgruntled researchers made his stomach churn. Taking a deep breath, he quickly ran into the dark hall and caught up with the human, using his ears to follow his footsteps.

"You're either brave, or just really dumb," Lyle mocked.

"Heh, an adventurer never passes a new mystery," he said firmly.

"Ah, so you're an adventurer now?"

"Yup, I am. I'm the one who found these ruins anyway, so it should be me to find out more about it too, right?"

"Whatever floats your boat."

"Just know, whatever treasure we find is mine, ok?"

"Sure."

Despite his attitude, he kept close to Lyle, hoping that if they did happen across anything he'd be protected. They hadn't come across traps during the excavation yet, but the possibility was always there. A few times, he felt his arms scrape against the walls, sending off a quick shiver of fright down his spine as he lurched back toward what would've been the center of the hall way. He had to use his hearing better to avoid completely running into the wall.

However, even though he was afraid, the whole exploring thing was also very exciting. He could feel his heart beating faster as well as the adrenaline that was going through his blood, though it all was also probably due to his initial fear.

"May I ask you something," Lyle asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What is it?"

"Do you hate your father?"

Atlas let out a soft hum as he thought about what to say. "Yes and no. It's confusing."

"Relationships always are. Why do you say that?"

He looked down at the floor. "Mom tells me things about him. That he'd always place his military missions before the family. It's why he's been gone for so long. I don't remember him too well since he left when I was three."

"Sounds like something that happened to a friend of mine when I was in academy."

"The Cornerian Academy?"

"Uh, no. The Federation Academy. It's in my world. I entered when I was twelve."

"Did your parents make you? Or did you have to go?"

Lyle hesitated to answer. "My parents died when I was young. I don't remember anything about them at all."

"Oh. I'm sorry," he replied in a lower tone.

"It's nothing. I don't remember them so I can't really set up any connections with them. Ah," he stopped, having Atlas run into him accidentally. "End of the hall."

"Yeah. I did say that this side wasn't finished."

"That you did," Lyle chuckled. "My scanner says that the signal is coming from the other side of the wall though." There was a moment of silence as Lyle examined the wall in front of them before muttering under his breath in surprise. "まさか。"

"What? What's that mean," asked Atlas, matching Lyle's surprised tone.

"Er, sorry. I tend to talk to myself in my own language. Here, perhaps this will help."

Quickly the dark hall was illuminated in a dim yellow light. Atlas looked for the source; an energy beam of some sort surged out of Lyle's left wrist brace. "Hey! Why didn't you do that earlier," he complained.

"I didn't think you'd follow," he confessed. "Besides, I'm trying to conserve energy back into my suit. Anyway, look at the wall."

The husky did as he was told. Before them both, in comparison to the crude walls they were accustomed to, was an ornately decorated structure. To the sides were two fox-like statues standing opposite of one another and holding what looked like spears. Their garb was rather simple, a loin cloth and a simple breast plate. In between them was a large, circular crest with a wave symbol in the center. The crest itself was surrounded by writing that the husky couldn't read, but had seen before.

"It's a water crest," said Atlas. "The writing is in Ancient Cerinian, or so I've been taught. I've never seen this before though. I usually stay in the better lit areas."

"Cerinian? Can you translate this text?"

"No. It takes weeks for our researchers to."

"I can."

Atlas looked up at Lyle, reading his shocked expression clearly. "How can you? The language has been dead for a long time."

"My scanner is able to. But…it's odd, I'm only supposed to be able to translate anything that's in my databank. The symbols are similar…but there are some differences…" Lyle's eyes darted left to right, quickly reading the small text on his visor. "No…this is impossible!"

"What? What's going on?"

"This language…it's almost as if it's a dialect of Aeon!"

He looked at the writings on the wall then back at the human. "But that would mean that Cerinians and your people have come in contact before then. I thought you said you were from far away?"

Lyle didn't respond immediately. "I'm a human, from Earth, actually. That's my race's home planet. Aeon is just where I was raised. They were a race similar to jackals. But yes, it means that there might have been a connection at some point."

"Then that should explain why there is compatible technology for you?"

"Yes…it would. Hold on a sec, I'm gonna translate the whole message." He used his left hand to press a command onto the headset on his ear. The translation was jagged, but finished.

_The hall of the Gate[keeper]. Inside our monument remains. An [ancient] relic and legacy of …potential. Our history, our rise, and our fall. Guarded is our treasure. May great minds alone [find way and] enter._

Instinctively, Lyle placed his free hand onto the door and channeled some telepathic power into it. Within moments, the text on the wall became illuminated by a blue light. The two statues beside them followed suit as the embroidery on the clothing began to glow as well as the eyes. The spears in each of their hands turned out to be staves in the end, the tips glowing much brighter and illuminating the area so that Lyle retracted his beam saber.

The crest began to groan as it slowly turned over into the wall, the sound of rocks churning against each other moaning down the hallway.

"Whoa," said an amazed Atlas. "How did you do that? How did you know it was a door?"

Lyle smiled. "In my world, doors are always like this."

The new area was already better lit than the hall before them, and the two of them entered into the blue aura. The walls were decorated in sparkling hieroglyphics, depicting a blue fox-race performing what appeared to be some sort of burial ritual. As they walked further into the hall, the images began to focus on a more idolized figure. It was still a blue fox, but the others figures around it looked to be bowing to it in worship.

"Can you translate any of this," asked Atlas.

"No. This text isn't in my database. But these blue foxes, they remind me of Krystal."

"Who's Krystal?"

"She's Fox's ex-wife, I believe." Another image at the end of the hall caught his attention, looking like a warrior clad in armor. Almost as if it was a power suit… Lyle examined the images surrounding it as Atlas passed him toward the end of the hall.

"Hey! There's another crest here! You think you can open it too?"

He looked toward his voice, not seeing the husky. The hallway actually hooked toward the right as he followed the pus voice as well as another door. He opened it in a similar fashion to the one before.

The other end opened up into a large, circular room incredibly different than anything the two of them had encountered. It was still lit up by the blue aura, however, the technology had jumped many generations ahead. The floor wasn't of the same sandy brick as the outside, but was constructed of fine tile. The walkway they stood on was actually a small balcony with stairs on each side descending to the floor below. Cerinian statues similar to the ones at the first door lined the railing all the way down to the stair end. A mechanized door could be seen below from their current position.

"What…is this place," wondered Atlas out loud as the two of them slowly descended down the stairs, catching quick glimpses of the hieroglyphics on their way down. There turned out to be another door opposite of the larger one, similar to the ones they had already seen. Atlas went over to it and placed a paw on it, hoping that he'd get similar results to Lyle.

"This is a ship!"

He turned around and rushed towards Lyle's side, seeing the human messing with a control panel on the wall. "Is it still working? Can we enter?"

Lyle fooled with the console for a moment longer, let his scanner examine, then sighed defeated. "No, there's currently no power running through the ship. It's hard to tell how large this thing is from our angle as well as with it buried this deep."

"Deep?"

"Yes, we've been descending quite a bit. We're currently about a mile inside the earth."

"We've walked that far!?"

"Yes," Lyle chuckled. "I guess you weren't paying that much attention then, weren't you mister big adventurer?"

Atlas lowered his ears and returned with a nasty look. "Hey, I said beginning adventurer. Ok?"

"Yeah, sure thing." He turned around and took a quick look at the crest behind them. "Over there, I think this is what I'm looking for."

The pup groaned in jealously as this door opened for Lyle once more. The room inside was much smaller than the previous, housing another Cerinian statue in the center, only this fox was holding in its hand a glowing blue orb. The walls in this room were also decorated with various crystals and gems of varying sizes instead of hieroglyphics. The sight of the treasure immediately sent Atlas in an excited rant.

However, while he yapped about his amazing find, Lyle stepped toward the statue, examining closely the sphere it held. It was cloudy and swirling while pulsing with a gentle light. As he extended a hand to retrieve it, it quickly erupted into a bright light, forcing him to shield his eyes. When it vanished, his visor began ringing an alert; claiming and upgrade had been performed.

_Suit Power level restored to 70%_

_Required minimum to achieve basic suit functions: 80%_

_Estimated time till minimum recharge: One week_

_Estimated time till complete recharge: Two weeks, 4 hours, 23 seconds_

_Upgrade successful!_

_Analyzing Upgrade…_

…

…

_Short-range teleportation enabled_

"What did you do? Where did that gem go," complained Atlas, who seemed to have forgotten that he was surrounded by many others.

"It was a suit upgrade," Lyle answered, a bit out of breath. "I can…teleport now!"

"Really? That's much cooler than these rocks here," he whined. "Does that mean we have to leave now?"

He thought about it for a second. "I'm done here. There's nothing else we can do either. There are no other doors to go through besides that one over there," he pointed toward the ship. "However, it doesn't seem that we can enter with our current equipment anyway."

"Well…I guess I can tell the researchers about it at the facility. I'm sure we can get some power generator in here to try and open that door. They're all smart like that, so I'm sure they'll think of something."

"I have a better idea," Lyle began. "Why don't you do think up of something instead?"

Atlas cocked his head to the side, similar to how Bill did. "What do you mean?"

"If you haven't realized it just yet, Atlas, you're wiz-kid. A prodigy of sorts, if you want to hear it that way. Someone like you probably doesn't really need all those researchers to figure out what to do. Hell, you've discovered this place before, why not discover the rest of it, right?"

The pup quieted down, letting the words register into his mind. He smiled from the flattery and could swear that a little red was showing from his white face. "I guess I could, right?"

Lyle nodded. "Alright, let's try this new stuff out and get out of here." Before he did anything, however, he extracted his blade and carved out one of the gems in the wall with ease and tossed it to Atlas. "For proof."

He smiled and accepted Lyle's hand when he offered it. Their surroundings began to appear fuzzy and distorted that Atlas had to wipe his eyes with a free hand. Then, in a quick burst of light, they were outside once more, in front of the installed door that they had started from. "Whoa…that was…interesting."

However, Lyle wasn't paying attention to him. Something directly west of them was causing his scanners alert system to jump from blue to red. He let go of the husky's hand and climbed over the hillside, unsure of what he was looking for.

* * *

_Oasis: Northwestern Plains_

"Just Vwere are you taking me," Sasha scowled to her mouse researcher who was driving the red car they were in. "Zis izn't za way to za military baze. Why are vwe here?"

"My apologies, Ma'm," he replied nervously. "But I'm doing this for my life's sake."

"Vwell, it von't be your life I'd be vworried about! Vwen I'm done with you, you'll be vwishing you vwere dead!"

There was a moment's hesitation before the mouse decided to talk some more. "Do you know anything about the Hinderman Crime family?"

"No, but if you keep driving like a moron perhaps I shuld call them to take care of you."

He chuckled sadly. "It's my family, Ma'm."

There was another moment of silence as the car slowly came to a halt, and Sasha put two and two together. "Zis iz a kidnapping, no?"

"I'm sorry ma'm. They told me I had to do it or we'd all die."

"And jid you sink zat I vwould go vwillingly?"

The mouse gave a quick gasp as a door appeared to open in front of them, almost as if it had just appeared out of thin air. Out emerged a uniformed horse-man, followed by Leon, Panther, and a glazed looking Wolf. The horse made his way to the passenger door and opened it, smiling.

"Hello there! I assume that you are Doctor Sasha Malkovich, yes? It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sasha looked at him, at Star Wolf behind him, well armed, then back at the mouse. "Just Vwhat have you done…"

* * *

_Next Episode: An Emulated Fate

* * *

  
_

_At last! The end of the really slow parts and the beginning of the more action-y parts. I'm quite aware that this update is…awfully late. Heck, this story is already nearing a year old and it's not even near done! That's really really bad of me! ._. Hope you all enjoyed this one and comments and critiques are welcome =D._


	6. 16: Fate Emulator

Star Fox: Universe

Episode: 16

Season 2: 時間は誰の見方

Star Fox and Characters are Copyright to Nintendo as well as the themes related to them.

* * *

**Fate Emulator

* * *

  
**

_Oasis: Northwestern Fields_

"Would you both step out of the vehicle? It would make conversing so much more easier," smiled Wallace.

Sasha's colleague didn't wait; his hands shaking uncontrollably they slipped many times on the handle before finally opening the driver seat door. Her eyes followed him with disdain as the mouse scurried around the car and near their guests who didn't pay him much attention. Wallace kept his gaze on her, as if assessing whether she would try to run or not. A low rumble of thunder escaped from the skies, hinting at an impending storm as the horse extended his hand to her, expectantly.

"I don't believe vwe've been properly introduced," said Sasha, adjusting her spectacles.

"He's not really one for introductions," hissed Leon, keeping his gaze elsewhere and getting a small chuckle from Panther.

"Well now, Leon," mused Wallace, "I'm sure we don't want to have your temper getting too carried away, do we?" His smile grew hearing Leon grunt in response. "I'm Wallace. Head of the Wallace Syndicate and ambassador to Lylatians." The last part was said with more emphasis than the rest.

She took his hand, her grip tight, and stepped out of the vehicle. "Vwell, I azzure you, ja pleazure iz not mine."

"Now, now, Doctor, I'm merely here to talk. There's no need to get so defensive. In fact, I'm quite certain that what I have to say might interest you."

The husky retracted her hand and shut the car door, leaning back on it with arms folded. "I'm quite zure jat vwhatever a crime lord az yourzelf haz vwould not interezt me."

"On the contrary, it really will. Trust me. But first, let me just say how amazed I am at the work you've done here!" He backed up a few paces and faced toward Oasis, arms outstretched. "A complete and utterly marvelous example of environmental modification! It must've taken years of research and experimentation to accomplish such a goal."

"More than you'd know," she grunted.

"Oh, I can only imagine. I believe it was also you who helped in creating the climate control device on Fichina, yes?"

"I vwould conzider jat a failed experiment. Vwhat I've done here far out doez vwhat that machine can do."

"Yes. What you've done is not only change the weather here, but also altered the landscape, the environment and wild life of this region. This far exceeds anything a climate control device can do."

Panther growled impatiently behind them. "If you are trying to appeal to the woman's fancy you're doing an awful job. Perhaps you should've requested assistance from me in trying to sway the woman to do…whatever it is you're trying to do."

"Not only is he not one for introductions, he's not all that savvy with his speech too," mused Leon in agreement.

Wallace chose to ignore them both. "Last I recall Katina was still a dry and arid planet. Now look," he knelt down to the ground and dug up some soil, holding it out so that the other disinterested visitors could look. "Fertile soil. Grass. And good weather to compliment it, though it looks like rain is in the forcast. Really, a remarkable success."

"I get it. You like my work. Now get to ja point," she replied fiercly, her eyes glaring defiantly.

"I'm aware you didn't take me out here juzt to zhow how much of a fanatic you are."

The horse stood back up, still wearing his smile. "Any good business man tries to get on the good side of a possible client, my dear. Consider it good business manners."

"Repeating yourzelf incezzantly iz annoying, not good mannerz."

His expression grew a bit serious. He glared back at Leon and Panther who weren't trying hard to hide their rebellious snickers. "You're right, Doctor. There is something that we'd like from you. That is, something me and my Pirate friends would like."

_And zo he playz hiz wildcard,_ thought Sasha, readjusting her glasses once more. The current workings of the Pirates and the criminal lords were not news to her, though she hadn't expected them to come knocking on her door in such a manner. Her rejection of aiding the Cornerian refugees was merely her way of trying to avoid any conflict and acquiring attention to her little world. The predator is always on the heels of its prey, so the saying goes. "I know nothing about jeeze Piratez."

"Oh, they're an amazing species. Intelligent, resourceful, and," he made sure their eyes met, "well funded."

"If jis iz a matter of money, I'm already not interezted. Now if you don't mind, I'd like it if my colleague here took me back to my facility."

It was the mouse this time to interrupt, getting between her and Wallace, placing both his hands on her shoulders. "Doctor, please. Listen to what these gentlemen have to say," he pleaded, eyes full of fear. "You don't want them to do anything rash now, don't you?"

"Huh!" She pushed him away, the force knocking him off his feet. "And juzt what iz it you're doing? What bargain do you have with jem?"

"Please," he repeated, getting back to his feet and cupping his hands as if in prayer. "You must listen to them. A lot of people are counting on you right now."

"What people? You're people? You…criminalz? Iz that who you mean?" He looked away in shame. "For what reazon zhould I care for you and your mongrel family? For all I'm concerned it'z they're fault I'm now out here in the firzt place!"

"It is true," said Wolf finally, taking a step forward, the gazes of everyone shifting toward him in surprise. Even Panther and Leon gave him startled looks, though both were curious to what he had to say.

"Ah, McDonnel, wazn't it?" She took a bold step forward. "Corneriaz mozt vwanted, yez? I muzt admit you're pozition with ja Piratez izn't zurprizing at all."

"There are many things that you do not know," he replied. Sasha squinted her eyes tryinhg to examine his face. "But you really should listen to your friend a bit more. Like I was saying, it is true. He is out here for his own gains. But there are more people than him that are depending on what you say to us here."

"Their livez are of no concern to me."

"Then how about Oasis?" He paused to allow her a moment to register what he just said. "If it's not money you're interested in or the lives of people, then perhaps it is your work that you love more?"

The husky's eyes widened and she had to look away momentarily to suppress her shock. Her gaze drifted slowly to the small city in the distance. The city bell began chiming as the hour changed, the tone bouncing off the walls of the many buildings that had been constructed within the past four years. _Four years of hard, expensive work…_

"What Wolf says is a good point," began Wallace. "All of this work of yours can easily be blown up within moments. Just one missile. One nuke. A small army of men. One-"

"I get it! Thatz enough!" she bursted, hearing the horse laugh at her anger. "Juzt what iz it you vwant from me exactly?"

"Good! You're finally starting to see just what mess your friend has placed you in now!"

"Zo it zeemz." The mouse lowered his ears apologetically and ignored the daggers she threw with her eyes.

"With your expertise in environmental engineering, you immediately caught the interests of the Pirates when they first invaded Lylat. The technology and information used for your research would in turn prove to be incredibly valuable to their cause, especially since they have interests in setting up a facility in Fichina."

She raised a brow and folded her arms once more. "Fichina already haz the climate control device active there. What uze would my work be there?"

Wallace nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what we thought. Well, me and my crew that is. However the higher ups see some use to having you around."

"How delightful."

"In other words, we want you to do what you did here in Fichina."

Sasha thought about it for a few moments. "Jat vwould be impozzible. Fichina vwouldn't allow for an easy manipulation of environmentz due to the erratic vweather patternz on the planet. Yearz of rezearch and calculationz muzt alzo be done before any conztruction and modification can be done to make optimal uze of the terrain without draztically effecting the other local environmentz. You cannot juzt build vwherever you vwish."

Whatever remained of Wallace's smile was now absent from his face. He paced back and forth a bit for a few moments to think things over, muttering incoherently to himself. "It seems…there is a sort of misunderstanding here."

"Yez. You people apparently don't know anyjing about bazic terraforming."

He laughed curtly. "No, my dear. It's just that you still seem to believe this is a request." Their eyes met for a brief moment. "The Pirates could care less what happens to the planet or how bad the weather is on Fichina. What they do care about is that there are results."

Sasha pursed her lips. "You don't care vwhat happenz wij ja environment?"

"If I recall, you pretty much said the same thing yourself earlier. As long as the work gets done, both of our parties will be happy, yes?"

She cursed herself for not watching her tongue. Whatever business these Pirates wanted from her was going to be one-sided, that she was sure of. Criminals always had this idea of throwing out the trash once their uses had expired and now she was the new toy to be played with to get what they wanted. This feeling of being trapped wasn't new to her; she remembered the hatred of feeling confined that was swelling inside her body now, similar to the time when she worked for Corneria's R and D team.

"I see that you still need further convincing." Sasha didn't acknowledge what he said, opting to stare back toward Oasis for reassurance. "Doctor Malkovich, you're probably not aware that we know of two bonds you hold closely to your heart."

Her eyes squinted slightly. "And juzt what may jose two be?"

Wolf interrupted once more. "Let's just say that the Pirate's also have a friend on board their frigate with even more power than them. Along with them is device known as F.E. Or a Fate Emulator if you'd like to be more precise.

She didn't like the name of it already. In her field, she was aware that emulating something was similar to just mimicking a desired model. Her Oasis, itself, was an emulation of what would be an ideal environment. "And what does this do?"

"You're a smart woman. I'm quite sure you've figured it out just by hearing its name." He remained expressionless even though her face glared fiercely. "For example, your mouse friend here," at his mention her colleague gasped and stared back frightfully, "is part the many criminal organizations that have joined up with the Pirates."

"Yez, unfortunately," she replied dryly.

"The Hinderman Family, wasn't it?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Regardless, they came onboard the Pirate frigate and signed a contract of loyalty with them."

"We had no choice!" protested the mouse. "We were all tricked! Once my brothers walked into that ship our fates were sealed!"

Wallace snickered. "That's right. Their fates were sealed." He stepped forward to block out Wolf. "I apologize, Wolf, but this is the fun part. I won't let you take this from me." The Lupine didn't make any visible objections and stepped back.

Everyone's attention was drawn toward the mouse. They weren't told to; rather, it seemed to come instinctively as Wallace shortened the distance between the two of them. "What…what are you going to do," he squeaked.

"I'm sorry, young man, but the good doctor here needs to see just how well our Fate Emulator works."

He gave off another scream and immediately bolted away from them.

"Ah, just as was scripted," mused the horse. "Watch this, dear. Before we came here, The Occult instructed us of what was to happen with this young man." He looked at her to make sure she was listening. "Oh, do keep your eyes on your friend. I'm sure you'll like this too."

The sound of thunder was growing more frequent and flashes of lightning danced over the sky as the wind picked up. Briefly she looked up at the sky, noticing the tell-tale signs of the usual desert storm coming. A few drops of rain fell onto her glasses, forcing her to wipe them clear before she returned her gaze at the fleeing researcher.

"Now, we know you are a scientist, thus, you would be harder to convince than any normal person. So we devised a way that would at least have you believe in our Emulator." He pointed out to the mouse. "You see, if he was killed by some method, say, a heart attack, you'd assume we had poisoned him. If he spontaneously combusted, you'd think we shot him. So we thought of something bizarre enough and completely unexplainable."

She looked at Wallace incredulously. "You mean to kill him!?"

"That is correct. By spatial distortion in fact. Watch."

Whatever was now happening she could not explain with all her scientific knowledge. The mouse screamed in surprise as the air around him started to tear, the sound of radio static booming. Several electric waves lashed out from the tears, linking from one to another while severely burning the white mouse till all that was left was a charred mess. In one last final display, the tears grew, enveloped the burnt statue and closed shut, leaving no evidence that it had even happened.

Sasha gasped, nearly chocking on her own breath. "Vwhat ja…hell just happened here?" Her voice was soft, frightened and lost.

"I believe I told you. Spatial distortion." He smiled at her bewildered face. "Of course, something like that doesn't just happen now, right?"

She hesitated before agreeing. "Vwhat did showing jis to me have to prove?"

Wallace grunted. "Now you can speak, Wolf."

The horse stepped aside as the lupine continued where he left off. "You are tied to the fate of someone of interest to us. Bill Grey." She coughed at the mention of his name. "Originally, we were going to use these important ties of his, these bonds, and use you as bait. However, your dear friend who has come and gone informed us of your current relationship and we decided that using you instead would've been more beneficial to us."

"Bill and I couldn't care lezz for one another," she scowled. "Vwhat doez any of jis have to do vwith him?"

"He recently had escaped our clutches when he infiltrated the Pirate base recently. Originally we had anticipated that the metroids dispatched to Corneria would have taken care of him, but apparently that has changed." Wolf didn't give her the opportunity to ask what a metroid was. "Bill Grey has also taken a data disk containing information the pirates do not want known. So instead of holding you ransom, we want you to retrieve it for us."

"And if I jon't? Am I to expect to meet ja zame fate as my colleague?"

"Yes and no. We haven't decided just what method we'd get rid of you."

"Hmph. How azzuring."

"You do not need to worry about death just yet, Doctor. The pirates do need you after all. So rather than find the ties to Bill, we've decided to use yours. " She didn't comment. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anything happening to those a certain one in particular, would you?"

There was no other choice for her anymore. She sighed once more and raised her hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it. Vwhatever you azk."

"Very good," said Wallace. "I knew you would make the right decision!"

"Az if I had a choice," she growled.

"You sure did. And the right one at that!" His cherry attitude and expression were already making her sick. "For now, your objective is to retrieve that data disk from Bill Grey. Use whatever means necessary to do so, just get it done. We will be back here at this very spot in two days, awaiting your success."

"Panther and Leon will remain here on Oasis to keep a close eye on you," said Wolf, getting two pairs of surprised eyes glued on him.

"Hey, Wolf? What's the big idea?" complained Leon.

"I thought we were going to stick together while we were being played by the Pirates? Just what do you have schemed this time?" added Panther.

"It is better for you two here," replied Wolf. "Just do as you're told and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Thankz. I'm zure I'll need ja help," said Sasha, not hiding her sarcasm. The looks on her two new friends face weren't very pleased either.

"You are most certainly welcome," chimed Wallace. "But I'm afraid that our meeting must end now. It was a great pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

"Again, ja pleazure wazn't mine."

The invisible door once again opened up from their cloaked ship as thunder boomed more persistently overhead. "Do not forget, noon in two days, Doctor," said Wallace. "You will be given further instructions on what we expect of you after you've completed this task."

She watched as the horse and Wolf disappeared inside the ship with the closing of its door, the cloaking device making it appear as if nothing was there at all. The breeze picked up suddenly and she had to shield the dust from hitting her eyes; the ship must've taken off, she assumed, surprised at how silent it had been. She shifted her gaze upward at the now grey skies, feeling the rain begin to pick up.

"We should be going," said Leon, rather disapprovingly.

"The two of us will have to be in hiding to make sure you do what has to be done," added in Panther. After a moment he went up to her, handing her a rose in full bloom. "A pretty face like yours shouldn't be full of worry, my dear. Wolf is a good man despite his rough appearances. I'm sure he has some sort of plan."

"That's if he's even the same Wolf anymore," muttered Leon. "Let's get outta here. This rain isn't going to be pretty."

"Momma?"

Sasha looked over to see Atlas struggling through the tall grass to reach her, and again, her heart sank. She stood back up and wiped the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. The words that Wallace and Wolf said about fate and bonds echoed painfully in her head as she eyed the young pup. Her second son, who wasn't aware at all at just how much danger was now focused on his life. Another child she might lose…

"Momma, are you okay," he asked innocently, glancing from her, the two Star Wolf members, then back to her again. "Who are they? What's going on?"

She gulped. "Jese two are new guardz." Leon and Panther eyed her curiously. "Jey're juzt making zure that I'm doing alright." The pup gave them another look and gave a brief hello while Sasha focused behind Atlas, to the new person wading through the grass. Normally his appearance would've startled her, but after the events that had just happened she couldn't muster up any other emotion than the worry that filled her. "Who iz…"

"Oh, I made a friend, momma," exclaimed Atlas, moving toward Lyle's side to grab a hand to pull him closer. "His name is Lyle."

She examined the human, noting his peculiar appearance similar to the ape-race. He was slimmer than any adult so she assumed that he was probably still a child himself, though his current skin-tight outfit didn't give his body much justice. "How do you do?"

"Quite well," he replied. She noted that the human had a visor running across his left ear and around his eyes. The minute text appearing on it was written in a language unfamiliar to her, but she could see the humans eyes slightly twitching to read. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen anything…strange out here? Would you?"

"Ztrange?" Their eyes met for a moment. His expression was stoic, yet she could feel him examining her, searching her for some sign of weakness. She was unsure if her emotions were giving away her true feelings about what had just transpired or if they were just making her paranoid. There was nothing she could say to answer his question; she was too confused and lost.

"We had received an energy reading coming from here moments ago," said Panther, Sasha's eyes darting over to him quickly. "When we arrived here, we couldn't find anything peculiar."

Lyle thought the answer through for a moment then nodded, appearing satisfied. Lightning flashed overhead and the earth trembled as the skies roared out. "This storm is going to be a violent," he thought outloud.

"We zhould head back to the facility," added Sasha. "We don't vwant to be ztuck out here for much longer."

"If you will, Ma'm," said Panther. "Me and Leon would like to stay out here a bit longer. We'll report anything we find to you."

The Panther bowed his head slightly when their eyes met. As she was about to open her mouth to question his motives, he tightened the grip on his blaster, urging her to just leave. "Very vwell." She looked back up at the sky for a moment. "If jis vweather getz any more zevere everyone will have to evacuate into the Bunkerz. Ja entrance iz located near the McAllister bace zhould that become necezzary."

He nodded. "Thank you for your concern."

"Oh! Can Lyle join us in our bunker? I wanna ask him stuff," begged Atlas, looking up at her.

"If he vwantz," she said automatically, making her way around the car and into the driver's seat. Luckily, the keys were still inside and she turned them as Atlas took the passenger seat. She waved in Lyle who hesitated to enter and performed a three point turn, stopping besides Panther and Leon. "Ja weather here can change quickly. Find vwhatever it iz and quickly retreat into the bunker before the otherz do."

"Again, thank you."

Their eyes met one last time before she released her hold on the break and drove off, unsure of what she would do next.

* * *

_Pirate Frigate: F.E. Chamber

* * *

  
_

The large double doors slid open with a loud hiss and light poured into the dimly lit chamber. Footsteps echoed in strong thuds as the Pirate Raynord approached the main console. A loud hum rumbled through the walls as the console slowly came to life, the lights of the two towers glowing slightly. Between them, the dim face of F.E. reappeared, transparent and expressionless.

"We've been waiting for you, Raynord," it said in its usual dual-voice; one man, one woman. "The research fares well?"

He bowed as humbly as any Pirate could. "The experiments are coming in with mixed results. Many subjects show what would be promising but eventually die off before any extra observation can be done."

"You refer to the energy the metroids have drained?"

"Yes, however, they die quickly when excess strain is applied to their reserves. We do not wish for the metroids to fully digest the energy they've obtained or we lose all valuable data."

The face hesitated to answer. A low rumble emanated from within the F.E. and the face sheared into two separate ones.

"The metroids were created using information acquired from Chozo lore," said Isis. "The reason we entrusted them to you was so that you can observe and analyze the energy traits of the people in this region en mass, rather than through individual samples."

"Do you mean to tell us that despite our hard work, you are unable to properly analyze the data," asked Toth.

"N-no," stuttered Raynord. "I'm merely saying that more time will be required to find a way to keep the creatures alive. Until then, we have been performing some individual experiments-"

"You have been doing this without our permission?" Toth's face grew red on the screen. "Our predictions have it based that by using our methods was the _Trait of Sil_ to be found!"

"I understand you are upset," he pleaded, "but please. The reason why I came here was to inform you that we have found parts of this trait in a few of the samples!"

There was silence for a moment, Toth's face returning to a neutral grey color and the screen flickered slightly as both faces merged as one again. "We wish to hear this information."

The pirate sighed in relief and recollected his composure. "The _Trait of Sil_ proved to be too difficult to find when we examined the energy en mass via the metroids."

"Do not repeat information," the face bellowed.

"My apologies. The trait was found in a number of imprisoned Cornerians in research facilities established on the planet. After numerous experiments, we were able to confirm that the trait was dominant in all the vulpine subjects." He paused, waiting if F.E. would comment. "En mass, the energy is hard to distinguish when mixed in with those of the other race. We've come to the conclusion that the trait is recessive and is easily overcome by the energy from undesired traits."

The faces split in two once more as Isis spoke, "Then it would seem that our ancient brothers were very aware of their genetic heritage and tried to dissolve it amongst others to hide its identity."

"And this information was extracted directly from the individual or individuals involved," added Toth. "And by what method?"

"We used the metroids, still," answered Raynord. "The vulpine subjects all died, of course, but the energy contained various amounts of the _Trait of Sil_ when examined closely."

"How dominantly did the traits expose themselves when placed under observation?"

"The measurements are all below 1%," he gulped. "However, the highest amount was recorded from a vulpine of violet coloration, an estimated 2.46%. The other scientists suggest that a different form of energy capture is created."

Silence.

"Perhaps, in the form of the Hunter Metroid," Raynord suggested. "The species uses a long tentacle to siphon energy from a distance. If they could be programmed to only hunt prey containing this trait, then we believe collecting it and storing it would become more efficient."

"Yes," mused Toth. "Creating a new weapon to capture only the desired element would prove to be more beneficial."

"However," began Isis. "Creating the entity will tax our systems power. We will have to use what little energy obtained from the samples already to generate this life."

"How much energy has been captured? Our current sources indicated that Sil power is at a steady 10%."

"The required amount is 10% to give birth of the hunter metroid. If gathered energy is not sufficient to at least supply that 10% loss, we cannot grant this request."

Raynord stopped for a moment, placing a claw on his chin. "We've obtained power to increase the reserves only by 3%. However, I'd like for you two to consider another option, harnessing the _Trait of Dra_ latent in both of you."

"And just where are you headed," they both asked, face united again. "The _Trait of Dra_ is only latent in Aeons and is only capable of time and space manipulation."

"Exactly," Raynord clasped his hands together. "The other two Pirate ships have within them enough supply of artificial Sil traits that can power up the F.E. so that you can continue to spread your hold in this system. If you were to use enough of the Dra energy to enable those ships passage here, we can focus more time and research to obtaining more of the natural Sil element from the citizens of this planet."

"We are not finding this a necessary step to our goal," they replied strongly. "The original plan sustains. They will arrive here to join us in approximately two months time once the research from Hierarch Osiruz has been fully translated. This request is denied."

"I beg, do reconsider. The extra artificial energy could hasten up the operation in this sector!"

Toth's face emerged in fiery red. "Do NOT question our authority again, Raynord. Despite your work and efforts in massing up enough of your Pirate friends away from High Command, you are still disposable. There are many others whom can take up your post more efficiently if needed."

Raynord quickly bowed, stuttering a quick, "Y-yes, Lord Toth."

"Do not forget, Raynord," said Isis sympathetically. "The will of The Occult is absolute as long as you wish to remain protected by us. Your cooperation will ensure that once our goals are realized you and your people be granted part of the powers to shape the ideal world."

"Yes, I understand."

"Also note," began Toth, "that we will place your request in regards of the hunter metroid at the top of our list. We are both interested in obtaining more of the natural _Trait of Sil_. Shall it be deemed necessary, we will use whatever remaining energy sources we have as a last resort."

There were a few quick chirps from a nearby console and a large screen opened up above it, displaying Wolf's face. "The mission is underway," he said. "The expected results will come within two days time."

"You first request," said Isis, "is about to be realized, Raynord. A research facility in the ice planet will enable proper care and maintenance of the metroids without them misbehaving."

"Yes," he replied. "I thank you kindly."

"You are dismissed now." The Pirate bowed once more and exited the room. There was a moment's hesitation before any of the three spoke. "Our hold on Raynord is beginning to waver."

"His requests are beginning to become more taxing than the information and energy he is providing," agreed Toth.

"Shall his demands grow too stressful to the F.E. system control to this sector will quickly be lost."

"As long as the fear of F.E. still lingers there shouldn't be much to worry about," said Wolf. "There is still Wallace and his crew working for us."

"Wallace is a fool!" bellowed Toth. "A power-hungry dog who will return to the hand that feeds it. His thirst for that power blinds him and it's another struggle to keep him on the path we desire."

"Is there something wrong with the system," asked Wolf. "Are the fates not adhering to your demands?"

"Mahat," said Isis. "The energy required to directly manipulate the fates is proving to be too taxing on the remaining energy reserves that we have. Use of the artificial _Trait of Sil_ is proving to be more unsatisfactory than previous anticipated. More energy is wasted than if a natural supply were used."

"Then that means-"

"That is correct," they both said together. "From this point on we are merely pushing the fates towards desired outcomes. The energy used to convince Dr. Sasha Malkovich to join our cause resulted in a Sil loss of 5%. Until then, the remaining energy will be sufficient enough until two months time."

"Was involving the Cornerian woman absolutely necessary?"

"Yes. We have already foreseen that the woman will be placed into direct contact with Erar's element in the future."

"Would imprisoning her promote that or hinder it?"

"All possible paths show that Erar will be introduced to her, regardless of where she is. However, the fates are blurred by unknown factors and that the time of these occurrences are erratic. Again, we are merely pushing toward the direction that would be most beneficial to us. Especially since the element has already been exposed to her before."

Mahat thought for a moment, using Wolf's hand to wipe some fur off his brow. "I shall keep a close watch on the woman while I'm stationed here. For the meantime, Wallace and the Star Wolf crew still remain ignorant to my control of this body."

"As long as that factor remains, you will still hold influence over the actions of the Lylatians. Wallace believes that he is ambassador to his kind but he is gravely mistaken. Unfortunately, we must also end this conversation. We will contact you when news from Aaru reaches us in regards to Osiruz's reports."

"Very well, communication over."

* * *

_Oasis: McAllister Bunker: 101

* * *

  
_

"They're seasonal showers," said Atlas between mouthfuls of food. Lyle stared back at him, amazed how the young pup was stuffing his face so easily with the dinner that the bunker's cafeteria had provided. He glanced down at his plate of what looked like sliced turkey and mashed potatoes. "They happen every so often."

"So it's kinda like a monsoon season then," he said, taking a small bite. It was rather bland, but his grumbling stomach wasn't going to complain.

"A monsoon? I guess. But since this planet was originally a desert, we like to call them desert storms." The pup took another big bite of his turkey. "They usually have very strong winds and blow in a ton of sand from outside the walls, but it's nothing too serious."

"Don't you all worry about the buildigns above the ground?"

"Nah. Usually a few broken windows here or there, but mom says the sand blown in is converted to glass at the factories, so it sort of balances out."

"I see."

The room was buzzing with conversations from various people; researchers and military personnel alike. Their table was located at the far end of the room, closest to the doors which remained open to let people travel to and from the cafeteria with ease. A few television sets were positioned here and there in the room and groups of men and women generally sat in the tables with the better views. On the other end of the room a group of men were taking part in a heated argument and occasionally their voices would rise in angry howls. The door nearest that led directly to the kitchen, everyone coming out had to make sure they steered clear of the angry group if they didn't want their food being thrown off their trays accidently.

"Have you thought about getting some real clothes?"

"Hmm," Lyle replied, returning his attention to the pup. "Oh. This outfit is," he examined the grey and black uniform he was accustomed to. "It's so my body can sync better with my power suit."

"That's cool," admitted Atlas. "But don't you feel cold in it? It doesn't really look all that comfortable. And you don't have fur, either."

He thought about it for a moment and examined everyone else in the room. A few eyes darted away as he scanned by them; he had forgotten that he was the odd one in the group after all. "I guess I could use for a change of clothes. Question is, where do I get some."

Atlas shrugged. "There's a clothing store above ground, but it'd be hard to get anything during the storm. You could always just take a larger lab uniform or something from down here. Oh!" He slammed both his hands on the table. "Take one of the Star Fox ones! That'd be so cool!"

"Is this for me, or is it for you?" Lyle laughed.

"Well, you need clothes," he shrugged, returning back to his meal. "Just a suggestion. Though if you can get me something too, I wouldn't mind."

They both laughed but quickly darted their attentions to the other end of the room where the argument had broken out into a fight between two soldiers. Trays were thrown around and tables were flipped over as food splattered in all directions; mashed potatoes and gravy littering the walls. Spectators tried to move in as close as they could to watch what was going on, chanting "Fight! Fight!" over and over.

"That's enough," shouted a voice coming from the kitchen doors. Everyone, including the fighters, stopped what they were doing and looked at who Lyle quickly recognized it as Fox. "You all are soldiers here. On the same side, even. Learn to cope with each other or you'll have to answer to your superiors!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the two shouted, saluting but still glaring angrily at each other before parting ways. The crowd mumbled a few words of disappointment before slowly dissipating, everyone going back to what they were before.

Fox saw the two of them seated at the far end of the room and made his way to them, avoiding the mess that had been scattered on the floor as best as he could. He eyed them both quickly before asking, "Mind if I sit here?"

Lyle shrugged and kept eating, though Atlas stared at him wide eyed. "You're Fox McCloud, right?"

"That's right," he chuckled, sitting next to Lyle. "From Star Fox."

"I'm Atlas," he replied excitedly, extending a paw.

The vulpine examined the boy for a moment, slowly recognizing his features. "Oh," he said, taking the paw and shaking firmly. "So you're Bill's kid?"

"Yeah," he replied, hesitating before messing with what remained of his potatoes.

"I heard you two did some exploring earlier from him. How did that go?"

"Amazing!" said Atlas, who quickly dug into his pockets and pulled out the crystal that Lyle had cut out for him. "We found this in the ruins, along with a giant ship! It was an incredible find!"

The boy handed the fox the gem and watched him examine it. "This thing looks like it would fork up a pretty penny," he said. "You two are going to be rich now! I'm sure plenty of businesses would be interested in this discovery!"

Lyle shrugged as Atlas smiled widely. "It's all really because of this kid," he said, getting a quick stare from him.

"But you helped! It's partly yours."

"Nah. You discovered the place. I just opened a few doors." The pup didn't too satisfied but the look that Lyle was giving him told him not to argue. "I got what I needed anyway."

"Anything interesting," asked Fox handing the stone back to Atlas.

"No."

"He can teleport now," smiled Atlas.

"That sounds interesting," he said as he swallowed.

"Is Krystal around," Lyle asked before Fox could inquire more on his new ability. "There are a few things I want to ask her about."

"She's around the base somewhere," he replied, giving him a curious look. "Is something up?"

"There were some hieroglyphs in the ruin walls that looked similar to her. All blue foxes. I wanted to know if she would know anything about it."

"Blue fox hieroglyphs?" The vulpine swallowed again, giving Atlas a quick look only to see the boy was just as interested. "I don't know if she'll know anything in particular, but she's been wondering what happened to her family and planet for the longest time now. I think she'll be interested if you've found anything relating to her."

"I see…So she wouldn't know much about it at all."

"Well I'm not too sure, but I'd tell her about it anyway. She might know something after all."

"I think I'll do that," he stood up, holding his empty food tray. "I'll go look for her now."

"You don't have to be in such a rush to leave," said Fox. "She'll be at the interrogation later today. You can find her there."

Lyle frowned. "Another interrogation? I assume this is about me again, isn't it?"

Fox placed his hands down on the table and looked up at him. "There are still many questions that need to be answered. Judge Krause and also Councilor Cooper also would like to have a word with you; however we're not only talking about you." He sighed, seeing that Lyle still was frowning. "I know you really don't like being here, and I know you don't exactly trust me either, but regardless of what you think or what you want to think, you are involved in everything that is going on in this system. You may not be involved with the Pirates, but for our sake, we need as much help as we can get from you. Please try and understand our situation."

The human looked toward Atlas, easily reading his confused face. He urged him to do as Fox said, either trying to be reassuring or that he was curious what the meeting was going to be about. It was then that he realized that he had bonded with the kid; they had somehow become friends within the few hours that they were together. Even though he had tried his best to stay as distant as possible from all his acquaintances in Lylat, it turned out that that plan ended up failing after all. He had done enough to help out the Cornerians on the planet already, so there should have been no real need to get close to them, he thought.

He blinked for a moment and replayed what he said in his mind. _Helped out the Cornerians_. All he really did was block out their communication network and take down the Ridley clone, Alpha. Other than that, most of the work was probably done by the fighters in space as well as the military officials when it came to trying to control the situation. Compared to all the stress and work that they had done, he had probably done very little to help after all.

"So are you going to go," the pup asked, impatiently.

Lyle thought about what would happen if the Pirates ended up making their way to Oasis. What they would do to the people. What they would do to Atlas…

"I'll go," he decided, looking back at Fox.

"Really?" The way he said it made Lyle squint his eyes disapprovingly. "I mean, I expected you to put up more of a fight, sorry. Usually you're a bit more stubborn."

"Thanks…"

"Well it's true," he shrugged. "Anyway, I suppose we should be going then."

"Wait, you mean the meeting is now?"

"Yup," said Fox, sliding his tray aside. He had barely eaten a quarter of it. "I actually ate earlier, but heard you were in here so thought I'd try and find a way to get near you. Krystal told me to be as convincing as possible."

"She told you that?"

"Yep. Now c'mon. Everyone should be waiting."

"Can I go too," asked Atlas, watching the two of them stand up. "I've never been to an interrogation before."

"Sorry kid," said Fox. "No kids allowed in these."

"But Lyle's a kid too! He's only 18!"

Fox looked at the human, seeing him stare down at the pup. "He's a special case."

"Aww…well I bet it'll be interesting."

"I wouldn't hold your breath," said Lyle. "Besides, you have something to show off the researchers, don't you?"

"Oh, right," he blinked, remembering the gem. "Well, just tell me everything that happens, alright?" Lyle smiled and nodded while he waved a paw as the two of them walked out and out of sight. He stared quickly at the half-eaten tray that Fox had left. "I wonder how much this would sell for…"

_

* * *

Next Chapter: The Art of Betrayal: Part 1

* * *

  
_

_I actually slaved over this chapter a lot more than I thought I would. Several days were spent just laying on my bed, brainstorming how to work everything out though my mind couldn't focus so well when I was actually staring at the computer screen. Thus, I ended up writing down the whole plot to the series as well as place in some important objectives that I wanted and/or needed to get out before the season finished and think I've found something that I could be satisfied with. _

_Hope that you enjoyed this chapter. It seems I've finally been able to script out the rest of this season to follow a steady path now. I don't think there will be a chapter update next week due to midterms, but I'll see what I can get done. Comments and criticism's welcome!_

_Easter Eggs: Bunker 101….HAH!_


End file.
